Summer, Surf, and Mermaids
by Emperor of the Animal Kingdom
Summary: It's forbidden for a mermaid and a human to fall in love. But that won't stop a tough but love-struck mermaid to win the heart of a kooky but good-hearted human. Major RxF with the couplings of BxL, JxE, RxS, LxK, KxD, JxT, GxR. OC's featured.
1. Party Night

**Hey, y'all, I'm Emperor of the Animal Kingdom, and this my first ever Stoked fanfic. Let me put this simply as I can before we start things off.**

**1.) I know Stoked takes place in Canada, but your author lives in the United States. However, I've been there, just not British Columbia, thus I don't know about the geographical points of said area.**

**2.) Pardon me if the characters are a little OOC. I'll try to keep them as much in character as I can. Can't make any promises or guarantees, but I'll try.**

**3.) The backgrounds of some of the characters are somewhat altered for this story, so bear with me. Plus, I took the liberty of including some OC's in this fanfic. And luckily, I got their approval. Don't wanna steal anything, you know.**

**4.) And yeah, as y'all can tell from the following story texts, it's a bit similar to, and based on, Jazzy-Chan's fanfic "Ocean Beauty". I'm just trying to make it good enough without making it a ripoff clone. I'll also try to put some Stoked with touches of originality here and there as best I can (hopefully) and see what I can do from here.**

**Disclaimer: Just so we're clear: I. OWN. NOTHING. PERIOD. Stoked & all its characters belong to Teletoon. Kendra belongs to s.f James, Kaycee & Roxxie to Woahnessness, David to WhazzupPeeps and Jess to DeviantArt's sop3. EVERYBODY GOT THAT? Good.**

**And without further ado, here's the first chappie of "Summer, Surf, and Mermaids". Enjoy!**

To quote a certain creative authoress:

"Long ago in a distant land lived a mermaid princess. She was very beautiful, curious and adventurous. One day, she spotted a boat and on that boat was a handsome prince. The mermaid fell in love with him. Then, there was a storm that caused the boat to tip over. In a brave attempt, the mermaid rescued the prince and brought him up to shore. She sang her love to him before he woke up. When he did wake up the mermaid was gone. Knowing her father would forbid her from interacting with humans, she went up to the sea witch. She promised the mermaid the legs of a human and said that if she received the kiss of true love within three days, she would remain human. In exchange for this promise, the sea witch wanted her voice. The mermaid was in a tight spot. Would she give up her beautiful voice to be with the human she loves?"

Author: Pft, yeah right! Now, how many times have we heard this Disney tale? I'll tell ya how this one really happened!

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**CHAPTER 1: PARTY NIGHT**

Our story takes place at the Surfer's Paradise Ridgemount resort on Sunset Island, British Columbia. It's a little late at night and the beach was PACKED with high schoolers, celebrating their summer vacation, and the sounds of music, partying & excitement can be heard for MILES on end. Away from all that commotion, was the host of the party. Okay, make that co-host, but that's beside the point. He was a teen male with red spiky hair sticking up and green eyes. He had a well-muscled frame in his dark red swim trunks. He also had a tribal tattoo on his chest, a red watch on each wrist and a shark-tooth necklace. He was just standing on the shore, looking out to the ocean horizon as the waves crashed against the beach. His thoughts were soon interrupted by someone calling out his name.

"Yo Reef! You okay, dude?" Reef Volotres turned his head to and saw his two best buds at the resort. One was a tall male with dark brown skin and a minor gut. He had brown eyes, black hair thinly coating his scalp and small strip of facial hair under the lip. He was wearing a blue & orange wetsuit. The other also had brown skin, but lighter. He had a blond afro, brown eyes, a coconut shell necklace, and a slim, yet well-muscled frame in white swim trunks.

"Hey Reef, what you doing way out here alone? Throwing a gnarly bash like this and not taking part in it? That's not like you, bro." the Caribbean afro-boy, Broseph Brown said. Reef let out a quiet laugh.

"Dude, you've been out of it all day. What up, man?" the tall guy, Johnny Princeton asked.

"Sorry about that, dudes." Reef replied, walking up to his friends. "I suppose it's nothing. Guess I'm just stoked about the surf contest coming this weekend." Reef said, with grin on his confident face.

"Well, get your head out of the clouds already. We need you for the volleyball game. Then we can get grindage after that." Broseph said, rubbing his stomach.

"All right dudes, let's go." Reef replied, walking away from the shore.

Reef, Broseph, & Johnny were the tightest of friends. They have been for six years. Reef was the leader of the group, the most popular guy at school, head of the soccer team, a pro surfer, and threw big parties for everyone, and sure, he's a big show-off and a braggart, not to mention a bit of a sexist and major kook, but he was a good guy on the inside. Broseph was a soul surfer, so he surfs for the thrill of it and _NEVER_ for trophies or money, and respects the sea. He also finds ways to help out his buds without making a scene, especially in water. There was something suspicious about him, though... As for Johnny, he was the brains of the group. He may not exactly be athletic, but he got to surf once in a while. He now worked at the front desk as a concierge, so he knew the hotel inside and out. He was a very nice guy and put great effort into helping his friends.

"So Reef, did you see that blonde babe in the hot pink bikini?" Broseph asked teasingly. Reef groaned.

"Blaire? Yeah, but she was so dumb, she makes Lo look like a rocket scientist!" he stated.

"Dude, what is it with you? Every girl me and Johnny try to help you find as your date, you turn down." Broseph said.

"Well, you are already dating Lo. I, on the other hand, STILL can't catch a babe for the past six years! Ugh! Why did you have to bring this up? It always depresses me every time you do." Johnny complained. It was true. Johnny may be friendly and supportive, but when it came to getting a date, he was WAY down on his luck. He had met scores of girls inside the hotel and out, but _NONE_ of them turned out to be 'the one' for him. To compensate for this shortcoming, he had to go all-out on his job as concierge just to fight off his depression.

"Cheer up, man. If Broseph could score my sister, then there's bound to be a girl out there for you. Just don't give up." another male voiced replied. All three guys craned their heads to where that voice came from.

Another white guy approached the trio. He had short, light brown hair, purple eyes, and a slim yet muscular build in khaki green swim trunks. He came with two more guys behind. One had a brown buzz-cut hairdo, green eyes, a blue tribal tattoo ringing his upper left arm, a small bracelet on his right wrist, a sand dollar necklace, and a slimly muscled frame in blue swim trunks. The other had dark skin, blue hair & eyes, and dark orange swim trunks on a slim but muscled frame. They're Johnny's other friends that he grew up with locally.

"Yeah, mate. I thought I'd never get a sheila, and looked what happened. Kendra showed up early this summer 3 days ago, and we already started a friendship. So chances are that'll happen to you, too, mate." the tanned boy, Ripper Wilson, stated with an Australian accent. Then he turned to his pal, Lance Stewart, whose head & shoulders sagged in disapointment, the same disappointment Johnny had- lack of a dream girl. Ripper and Lance had been lifelong friends locally. Ripper & Kendra appreciated his company and all, but ever since they started hanging out, Lance started to feel a bit left out... "Cheer up, mate. You'll find your dream girl when you least expect it." Ripper consoled him.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Thanks for the emotional support, dudes." said Johnny. "Yeah, bro. We really needed that." Lance added. "Anytime, dudes." the copper-haired male, Ty Ridgemount, replied. "C'mon, let's head back," said Johnny. "before Baumer chews us out for being absent, again."

Just as started to leave the shore, Reef heard a few splashes accompanied by high-pitched squeaks & clicks. The six teenage boys turned their attention to the sea and saw a pod of at least five orcas, frolicking in the waves.

"Yo dudes, who invited Free Willy and friends?" Reef asked.

"Hey, when was the last time those black and white whales came this close to shore?" Johnny asked in wonder. Broseph shrugged.

"Actually, they're large dolphins." Broseph told them. The guys stared at him, puzzled by his statement. "What? They are." retorted Broseph.

"But it's no big deal. I see them all the time." Broseph muttered.

"Dudes! I promised my mom a pic of a whale or dolphin if I saw one! Darn it, I left my camera back at the staff house." Reef partially sulked. Ty dug into his trunks pocket and pulled a small digital camera. "Here man, use mine," he offered. Reef smiled and took it from him. "and be sure to hand it back to me so I can take one for Lo. I promised my sis a whale pic if I saw one, too." he added. Ty usually takes video of surfing, but Lo had been begging him repeatedly for some time to take a picture of something else, like a dolphin or something from the beach besides surfing.

"Thanks, dude!"

"What is it with you and surf videos?" Johnny asked.  
"Mom said I needed a hobby." Ty answered.  
"Of course." Johnny responded.

Meanwhile, Reef was taking photos of the orcas. "Got it. Here you go, Ty." Reef said as he handed the camera back to him. "Good. Now it's my turn. I'll send you and my sister some copies." He grinned at him.

"Thanks, man!" Johnny, Ripper, and Lance were also looking through the pictures too.

"I got an idea. What do you say I take a photo of you guys?" Ty offered.

"What the hey. I'm game." Lance said. The five of them walked toward the water's edge. Reef was in the middle, Broseph on his right, Johnny on his left, Ripper & Lance on the far left. Ty held up his camera.

"Alright, guys. 1...2...3!" He snapped the photo. Ty brought the camera over to the five, as they looked at the picture. Reef had his arms around Broseph and Johnny with a big smile on his face, with Broseph and Johnny also smiling. Ripper and Lance were just standing next to each other and smiling to the camera while the Australian gave the camera a "rock on" sign.

"Looks great!" Reef said.

"Oi, check it out, we got Free Willy in the background." Ripper stated, pointing out one of the orcas in the photograph.

"Seriously, we gotta get back to the party before Baumer gives us strikes for our unexcused absence." Johnny urged.

"Alright, alright, we'll go." Broseph replied. "Okay, now let's get our party on!" Reef exclaimed, heading back to the party. They were about to leave, when all of a sudden, Reef stopped right where he stood.

"Reef, you okay, dude?" Johnny asked.

"Dudes? Do you hear that? I think I hear singing." the redhead asked. Three of the boys gave him an "are you crazy?" look. Broseph, however, reacted otherwise and said, "Yeah, bro, I definitely hear it, too."

"Broseph, Reef, there's nobody singing, especially not way out here." Ty told them.

"I think it's some of the girls singing on karaoke at the party. C'mon, man." said Lance.

"Yeah, I guess you guys are right..." Reef said. He joined back up with the others and went back to the party.

What the teens (except suspiciously Broseph) didn't know was that Reef was right. He & Broseph heard singing, but it wasn't from the party. No, it was coming from the cove on the closest edge of The Office...

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**YES! Only took, what, 5 days to make this chapter? Sorry if it ain't good enough, or if it's too similar to Ocean Beauty, but I'm just tryin' to do the best I can, especially for the next chapter.**

**Yes, I decided to use last name 'Volotres' for Reef in InvaderZara's honor. Also, as you can tell, I gave the last names I gave the dudes and my personal touch.**  
**They DO host soccer games in Canada, right? Just wanna be accurate is all.**

**I'll give a cookie to whoever reviews nicely. AND NO FLAMES! Capice' (is this spelled right?)?**

**Love it? Hate it? Read & Review, y'all!**


	2. Meet the Merfolk

Start: 9-27-10 Finish: 10-4-10

**Ya like it. Y'all actually liked it! Seems I'm doin' better than I hoped. I am very pleased with these results. Oh, and btw, this story's on DeviantArt as well, but with a different title: "A Summer's Tail". You'll know me there on DeviantArt by my username PrimalTaiora. Cookies for all! To the followin' reviewers:**

**purplepeace: I'm pleased ya like it. 'Nuff said.**

**Roscieee: No argument, there, sister. Stoked fanfiction could really use some updates, seriously. Also, I'm pleased ya like it.**

**Scarlet: Glad ya think so.**

**Woahnessness: I know, poor Lance, just like in the show. Rest assured, he'll meet Kaycee soon enough.**

**s.f james: All taken care of. Thanks for the tip, seriously.**

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Meet the Merfolk

The moon, currently at its fullest, shone down on the suface of the sea, resulting in a sapphire glow. Far, FAR away from all that racket of the party is a cove. Very few people knew about this cove... or, to be accurate, very few humans. It's an almost haven-like place where dolphins played, sharks protected the entrance, and merfolk gathered and socialized. That's right, ya heard me. Merfolk. The thought-to-be-fictional sea creatures in stories of half-person, half-fish exist in this world. But I digress. Now, let's get back to the story at hand... or fin, for that matter.

A soft, harmonious voice came from the shore line of the cove on the land outskirts of The Office. Perched atop a small rock was a tan-skinned mermaid. Her lower arms had yellow fins with purple tips, and her hands had yellow webbing. Her nails were light blue. Her back was adorned with a yellow shark-like dorsal fin. Her purple tail swayed back and fourth with the beat of her song. Her only article of clothing was a yellow sea-shell top. On her belly was a shark and orca ring marking. Her sun-bleached hair was short and didn't reach the shoulers, and her eyes were still closed as she was singing to herself. Her moment of peace and quiet was interrupted by somebody calling out her "formal" name.

"Princess Fin Requin! There you are!" Opening her eyes, revealing a deep blue color, she spotted her friends Emma & Jess. Emma had paler skin, had mahogony hair held up in a ponytail and green eyes. Jess, also with paler skin, had yellow-green eyes, black hair, also help up in ponytail, albeit a bit shorter and on her left shoulder. Fin smiled at her friends just as her nails turned yellow.

"Okay, you two don't have to be so formal to me now. We ain't at the palace, you know." she said. Emma and Jess swam up to Fin and lifted themselves onto the rocks next to Fin. Emma had a light pink tail, arm fins, webbing, and shell top, whereas Jess's tail is white with a blue stripe down its side, white arm fins with blue spines, and a blue shell top and blue and white webbing. And on her belly was a blue whale marking. Jess also had small blue pearl earrings and two piercings on top of each ear, though the right ear was obscured by her hair.

"Fin, you have _GOT_ to stop disappearing on us like that! You had us worried sick!" Jess barked as she & Emma wrung the excess saltwater out of their hair.  
"Fin, do you have _ANY_ idea how worried we were? What if something shappened to you?" Emma added.

"Sorry. Couldn't ignore a night like this," said Fin, looking up at the moon. Emma and Jess mimicked their friend as they looked up at the night sky as well.

"'Sides, it's rather dullsville at the palace. I think it's good to get out and get some fresh water once in a while." Fin told them. "Or fresh air, as the case may be."

"Good call, Fin." Emma agreed.

"We better get going now," Jess said, about to dive back into the water when she and Jess were interrupted by the squeaking and chirping of orcas, or to be accurate, Fin's cetacean friends, one of them her 'steed'.

"Yo, guys! I wondered where you swam off to," said Fin, petting the large male on the head. He leaned into her hand, chirping happily.

"Fin, we need to go right away." Jess told her, sliding herself back into the water. The other orca clicked and chirped something to the surprisingly independent royal blond mermaid and the bubbly redhead.

"What? Here? Now?" Emma asked, her voice sounding pretty excited.

"What? What is it?" inquired Jess.

"He told me there's a bunch of humans not too far from here, having a party on the other side of the beach! C'mon, let's check it out!" exclaimed Fin.

Jess's eyes widened in horror.

"**No way**!" Jess exclaimed.  
"Don't you know how dangerous humans can be?" Jess cried.

"They can't be all bad. We'll just watch 'em, then we leave." Fin offered. Her gal pals hesitated at first, but agreed, albeit reluctantly as they let out a sigh.

"Alright, fine, but only for a little while." said Jess.

"Good, let's go!" shouted Fin "Right behind ya!" Emma said. She and Emma dove deep into the sea, swimming to where the orcas lead her. Jess groaned grudgingly.

"I just know this will go downhill in a hurry." whispered Jess as she followed her friends.

All three mermaids swam until they reached a rock that was nearby the beach. It was far enough not to draw human attention, yet close enough to let the trio watch the humans. Fin and Emma poked their head out first.

"Wow, looks like they're having a very swishy time." Emma whispered.

"Alright, we came, we saw them. Now let's get outta here!" Jess whispered back.

"Chillax, Jess. We've only been heen here for a minute. I intend to see more." Fin said. "Me too." Emma added. Jess groaned in annoyance.

" 'Sides, there's no rule against watchin' 'em." Fin added, turning back to watch the party. Jess groaned again. Apparently it seems Jess got no choice... again. They remembered ever since they were kids, Fin and Emma always had a deep fascination with humans, especially surfers, which explains their usage of surf lingo. Every time they saw one, they would drag Jess along for the ride. Other times, it was either her other friend/bodyguard Kaycee or her younger sister, Roxxie, or even both of them. Roxxie usually went without protest due to her adventurous spirit, but her temper sometimes got them in trouble. Kaycee, on the other hand, was a bit tough to convince. It was not that she too thought humans were dangerous. In fact, she, Roxxie and Jess saw humans as a primitive and violent race. Kaycee had a soft spot for Roxxie, but very protective of her. Jess and Kaycee weren't exactly lazy, but they would rather stay at the palace and babysit Roxxie or teach students how to ride and treat a whale, dolphin or shark mount than go on one of Fin and Emma's "adventures". But, Fin and Emma just plain wouldn't listen and practically drag her and sometimes Jess along for the ride. Now it was Jess's turn. Jess & Kaycee didn't mind going with Fin and Emma, but were afraid that they would get too close for comfort and wind up getting hurt or worse. Fin and Emma's thoughts were distracted by the blaring music that came from the party. The royal blond and commoner redhead sighed contently.

"You see, Jess? Told you it wasn't a bad idea." Fin said.

"I suppose you're right, " Jess replied. Fin and Emma smiled at the brunette mermaid and looked back at the party. They found it so interesting how the humans were relaxed and carefree, just like themselves. They watched a few of them talk and laugh, while others dance to the music and some splashing each other with water. Nothing could spoil their moments.

"Thought we'd find you three here." a firm but friendly voice came from behind the mermaid trio. They turned their heads to the back and saw two familiar faces. A sixteen-year-old mermaid and a twelve-year-old one smiled/smirked at the three. The teenager's short, pink hair, held in a short ponytail and a bang, was soaked and clung slightly to her neck, as was the child's chocolate brown, pigtailed hair, while their aquamarine and amber eyes, respectively, looked at the three. The teen had a blue-yellow-spotted shell top, arm fins, and webbing and the child's were light green. Also, the pink-haired teenager had what looked like a blue octopus shape on her upper back, and a red sqiud shape on the preteen's left shoulder. Although unseen, the teen's blue-with-yellow-striped tail, and the child's light green tail kept them both afloat.

"Kaycee and Roxxie Krakenove! How'd you find us?" Fin asked, recovering from the shock.

"Whenever there's humans around, I figured you and Emma are always there, and I -I mean, we- assumed Jess would be with you." said Kaycee.  
"Yeah, we know how it is with you two and humans, especially -what do you call this type again? Surfers?" Roxxie added. Emma uttered a nervous laugh.

"You're not gonna tell my parents and sibs, are you?" asked Fin. Kaycee smiled.

"Don't worry about it. Besides, I think Roxxie and I'll join you three on your little human watch." she said, letting out a light laugh. Roxxie frowned at the idea.

"Uh, thanks, but I'll pass." Roxxie muttered.

"Roxxie, don't be silly! This is like the first time in weeks since you left the reef." said Emma.

"Only because I needed to keep an eye on her. She was mouthing off to one of the palace guards, again." Kaycee snarled. Roxxie was just about to protest, but a loud scream came from the shore.

**BACK ON THE BEACH/LAND**

The cry/scream came from a young girl. Judging from her tanned skin tone, she was of Hawaiian decent. Her black hair was tied in a braid, and she had an anklet and bracelet, Hanging from her neck was a turtle necklace she had as a gift from her father. That night she was wearing her blue bikini. Her light gray eyes were wide with panic. The girl jumped at the sight of... a Chilean Rose tarantula wandering across the sandy ground. She went up on a chair to get some distance from the spider. People were wigging out big time at the sight, while some attempted to squash it, but to no avail.

Then a young boy -no, two- came by running after the spider. One had blond hair and purple eyes and wore a peach-colored shirt with light blue shorts. The other had dark skin, brown eyes, and a poofy blond afro like Broseph's and wore a green shirt with darker green sleeves and dull blue shorts. The first blond was twelve-year-old George Ridgemount, Ty's brother, and the second, afroed one was Grommet Brown, Broseph's brother, also twelve. Following the boys was a girl, a fifteen-year-old. She had medium-length, somewhat curly light brown hair with a light purple flower hairclip over her left ear, her eyes were purple, and she was wearing her sundress and flip-flop sandals. Everyone knew who she was. She was Lo Ridgemount, daughter of the owner of Surfer's Paradise hotel.

Lo stopped herself and turned to Kendra, or "Kenny", as her friends called her, and asked, "You all right, Kenny?"  
"_No_! I'm not alright! That spider came out of nowhere and scared the living daylights out of me!" Kenny shouted.  
"I am so sorry about that." Lo apologised. "Shaina somehow got out of her terrarium and is now loose. I'm just helping George and Grommet catch and re-contain his pet spider before she gets squashed." she added. With that, she resumed pursuit.

Kendra slowly stepped down back onto the sand, still in shock.  
"W-what kind of kid ge-gets a spi-spider for a p-p-pet?" Kendra asked herself shakily.  
"Kenny, you okay? We heard a scream." Ripper asked with some concern.  
"Just shaken from seeing George's pet tarantula, but I'm okay." Kenny answered.

"My brother brought Shaina Twain here? I told him not to bring his spider with him." Ty said in surprise.  
"What kind of lolo name for a spider is Shania Twain?" asked Kendra.  
"That's not important. By the way, was that Lo we just saw chasing the boys?" asked Ty.  
"Yes. Yes, that was." Kendra replied. And with that, Ty and Broseph followed Lo.

While the boys and girl were chasing the pet spider, Kendra and Ripper walked to the rim of the party, hand in hand, followed by Lance as usual. Reef and Johnny, on the other hand, stayed behind, depressed by the sight of many couples, due to not having a girl themselves. A few seconds later, Broseph, Grommet, and the Ridgemount siblings managed to catch the spider and put it back in her terrarium. Afterwards, they came back to Reef and Johnny, Lo and Broseph holding hands, the sight of which saddened Reef and Johnny more. They were quite disenheartened by this sight, even George and Grommet, and went to console them. Well, they were about to, when an unwanted voice called out from behind Reef...

"Oh, _**Reeeeeef**_!" a crazy feminine voice shouted. Annoyed, they turned to the source of the voice. She was a sixteen-year-old redhead with hair sticking up like fire, green eyes, blue pants that stop at four inches below the knees, and a white T-shirt with some kinda small, winged tribal thing below the front of the collar. Everyone knew who she was. She was Amber Green, the most _insane_, _creepiest_, _brattiest_, _jerkiest_ girl that ever lived in Canada. All the teenage guys around never felt comfortable with her nearby, _**ESPECIALLY**_ Reef, who just plain couldn't _**STAND**_ her, because she was _**WAY**_ too crazy for his tastes. His mother felt that way, too, and couldn't agree more.

"We're outta here." George and Grommet responded, spider-holding terrarium in hand as they walked away to the family car. Actually, it's a limousine, but that was beside the point. The child duo always felt discomfort just being around Amber, so they _ALWAYS_ move away from her, and really, who can blame them?

Amber gave the others a scoff, but put on an 'innocent' smile at Reef.  
"I just don't understand why you keep hanging out with these losers," she said flirtaciously.

"They're my friends, Amber. I like having them around. You got a problem with that?" said Reef asked in irritation.

"But Reefy-Weefy, don't you know how much this is hurting your rep?" she asked. Lo & Broseph gagged at Amber's 'pet name' for him. She had been trying so hard to be Reef's girlfriend, but he just keeps rejecting her. Of course, she just plain wouldn't give up easily...

"You listen here, little Miss Stuck-Up. We suggest you back off and walk away or else," Ty threatened. Amber sneered at him.  
"Fine, but remember, these seven will be your downfall." said Amber, walking off, but not before blowing a kiss to the redhead dude. They all shuddered, _**ESPECIALLY**_ Reef.

"Johnny, why didn't you do anything?" Ty, Lo, Broseph, and Reef asked.  
"My mom taught not to be mean to ladies." Johnny answered.

"True, but in case you forgot, Amber's no lady... she's more like the She-Psycho from the Black Lagoon, mate." said Ripper as he, Kendra, and Lance came up to them, smirking. They were watching and listening from afar.  
"For the love of Kauhulu, that _lolo_ just won't quit." Kendra muttered.  
"No argument here, sister." Lo added.

**BACK IN THE SEA**

Roxxie crinkled her nose in disgust, her fingerscales dark green in this expression.  
"Humans. They just have to fight over everything, as always." she muttered.  
"How typical of them." Kaycee uttered in agreement.

"We have to leave. I sense an undertow coming this way," said Jess. Fin didn't hear what her friends said, and neither did Emma. Fin's eyes were fixated on redhead male, and Emma's on the copper-haired male in the green swim trunks. They felt their hearts beat faster, as they let out a happy sigh at once. 'I am so turned on by the red, especially his hair," Fin thought. 'He's just so... wow' Emma thought. They felt a small tug at their fins, but it didn't bother them. It was just an undertow and because merfolk were such strong swimmers, it didn't affect them.

"Fin, Emma, we're going soon." Jess said. Fin and Emma shook their heads, snapping outta their dreams.  
"Huh? What? Okay then." said Fin, sounding a bit disappointed. Roxxie and Kaycce smirked.

"Hey look, that stupid human is back on the shore, only this time he's in the water after his surfboard." Roxxie said, dryly. The other mermaids looked and saw the male redhead going into the water, where his surfboard somehow ended up. Jess and Kaycee couldn't help but snicker at this and Emma tried stifle a giggle. Fin, however, smiled again, observing the human from head to toe. Normally she'd put on a tough-girl attitude, but this is different. This was affection she was feeling, something Fin didn't usually show.

**EARLIER, HUMAN POV**

As soon as Lo agreed on Kendra's statement, a wierd, strong wind knocked some surfboards like dominoes, the last of which fell on a plank, launching a red one it out of sight of the partyers... and into the sea. Reef noticed this and ran for the sea. His pals didn't give it much thought or worry about it, for they thought it was just nothing. They'll soon find out how wrong they were.  
"Aw, nuts!" Reef cried, running into the sea to retrieve the board. The surfboard floated out as he swam out to it. Lo and Broseph didn't give it much thought and walked away. He finally reached it and managed to paddle to shore, after which just started walking while up to his knees in water. He was about to reach dry land when he felt a tug, like something grabbed his foot. At first he thought it was just seaweed, but the more he stuggled, the further something pulled him back into the sea. A few of his pals started to notice.

"Reef! What's going on, dude?" Ty called out.  
"No clue, dude! Something caught my leg and I can't-" Before he could finish, a small, yet powerful wave crashed down on him and this time, Reef didn't surface.  
"Ka 'a 'ole! Reef!" Kenny cried.  
"We gotta go in and save him!" Lance exclaimed.  
"But what if we get sucked in, too?" asked Johnny, starting to panic. They had no idea what to do...

**BACK IN THE SEA**

"Why isn't he resurfacing? It's just an undertow, for Dakuwaqa's sake!" cried Fin.  
"Humans aren't as strong swimmers as we merfolk are, so they can easily die from them..." Emma said.  
"Somebody's gotta save that kook! I'll go!" Fin exclaimed.  
"But- but Fin, we can't interac-" Jess was cut off.  
"I know we can't interact with humans, but there's no law against saving them!" She dove deep into the water, leaving the others behind. Fin swam as fast as she could, fighting the current and the waves. If she doesn't act and think fast, he was _SO_ gonna die. Swimming behind him, Fin grabbed his arms and mustered all the strength she could to pull him back out of the undertow. Fin knew she couldn't go take him to the shore of the public beach- too risky with all those other humans around. 'Wait a sec! The cove!' she thought. The royal mermaid was underwater, holding the human tightly until she reached the cove's shore. Once they got there while keeping his head above the water, she hauled Reef and herself onto and along the sand. She then placed her head to his chest to check for a pulse. Fin heard the thumps of his heartbeat and felt his chest heave up and down. Reef was still out cold, but at least he was still alive. The others followed suit and watched from the sea.

"We gotta go, Fin! Before the humans arrive!" Emma yelled out.  
"Go on without me. I'll catch up," said Fin, keeping her eyes on the human. Jess was gonna protest, but Emma placed her hand on her shoulder.  
"She'll make it out okay." said Emma, as Kaycee and Roxxie nodded in agreement, albeit grudgingly. Jess sighed and then she and Emma dove into the sea, followed by Kaycee and Roxxie.

Fin looked down upon the lucky human. His red, spiky hair, still wet from the sea, was all sprawled out. The mermaid blushed again. 'Wow, he sure looks so... peaceful.' she thought. She ran her hand down his face as she began to sing to him. To human ears, this tune sounded unrecognisable for it was sung in her native tongue. Fin's voice was soft and light as she continued. It was a song played to her as a child by her mother.

Reef thought he was dead when he went under, but when he felt himself breathing and the sand underneath him, he confirmed he was definitely still alive. The sound of somebody singing began to awaken him. He sworn it was the most beautiful voice he had ever heard in his entire life. Reef tried opening his eyes, the seawater still stinging them. His sight was still a bit fuzzy, but he did manage to see a pair of lovely blue eyes.

Reef weakly asked "Who- who are you?" The unclearly seen individual just smiled. Then he heard somebody calling for him.

"Thank goodness we found you!" Johnny yelled out. Reef merely blinked and that mysterious individual was gone in a flash. Johnny, Ripper, Kendra, Lance, Ty, Lo, and Broseph came running down the beach, rushing to their friend's side.

"Krikey, we thought you were a goner, mate!" Ripper exlaimed, pulling him back up.  
"_Oe'_! How on Earth did you make it out that strong undertow? asked Kendra. She and Ripper were really happy Reef made it. Reef turned his attention back to the sea, looking for his mystery savior.

"I think somebody rescued me." Reef said. The guys and gals exchanged puzzled glances.  
"But we see nobody out here except us," Lo said. "though the situation does seem similar." she added. The redhead looked around, looking for any sign of her.

"Dudes and dudettes, I know I saw her! She had these beautiful blue eyes! And-and her voice was so... woah!" he exclaimed. Lance rolled his eyes.

"I think you drank a little too much seawater... let's just return to the party. It's starting to get a little out of hand." said Johnny. He, Ripper, Kenny, Lo, Broseph, Ty, and Lance started walking off the beach. Reef looked back out to the sea.

"I didn't even get a chance to thank her..." he whispered. Running up to where sand and water meet, he yelled out:

"Yo! If you're out there, thanks for saving me, dudette!" And with that, he followed his friends back.

Unbeknownst to him, his rescuer was hidden behind a rock, watching him anonomously.

"You're welcome... kook." she said, uncertain of his name... for the moment. One of the smaller orcas surfaced next to her, squeaking to her.

"I'm perfectly okay," she said, smiling at the shore. "Thanks for your concern." However, I think I've just found the one," whispered Fin. "I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but... I think I'm actually in love!" She smiled and dove deep into the sea, swimming to her underwater home...

* * *

**Jeez Louize, this one was tough! Didn't expect it to be this long, either!**

**In case you're unfamiliar with the name, and Dakuwaqa's a shark god from Fijan culture. Also, on Fin's behalf, I figure if she were a mermaid, McCloud would be more of a human name, so I gave her Requin as her mermaid last name. Oh, and "Requin" means "shark" in French, btw.**

**On, and y'all heard that? Fin called Reef a kook, and she hadn't met him until she saved him :)**

**As for the color-changing fingernails -or should I say fingerscales?- I picked this up from the movie Aquamarine. Y'all heard of it or the book of the same name, right?**

**Sorry if the the mermaids and the humans lack character development. Had to get 'em in this soon as I could, but I assure y'all, there will be more! I was wasn't OOC, was I?**

**Also, is this the first fanfiction to include Amber Green? I kinda think so. Feel free to comment what y'all think of Amber Green in this story, y'all.**

**Plus, some updates'll vary. I have a little time for this, not to mention if and when (and I mean IF) I end writin' BIG chapters like this one.**

**Please R&R! I would accept positive criticism, but no flames, got it? I don't like mean folks 'cause meanies don't get cookies. Or plushies, for that matter.**

**One more quick question: Do ya think Fin and Emma look hot (or maybe hotter) as mermaids? I'm positive Reef and Johnny would :D! Same goes with Jess, Kaycee, and Roxxie, for those familiar with these three.**


	3. Setting Foot on Dry Land

Start: 10-4-10 Finish: 10-14-10

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my concept of the personality, appearance and names of Fin's siblings and parents (considering they've never been heard (except Sam) and seen on the show and all).**

**My comments to the followin' reviewers:**

**Princess Absahail: Good to know you're lovin' it so far! And don't worry, Kelly's in my story. After all, I planned to introduce her in the next chapter. I also intend to keep her nastiness, but only temporarily because I planned to introduce David (created by WhazzupPeeps) at some point in the story.**

**Constance Faye Dyer: Pleased to know you're likin' it so far. And rest assured, there's gon' be plenty o' twists in the upcomin' chapters :)**

**The Cullens of Death Metal: I'm happy you likin' this so far. And don't worry, Kelly will turn up soon enough. And no, Kelly's gonna be 100% human in this story. She'll still snobbish but only for a chapter or even two until David (WhazzupPeeps's OC) comes into play. I've got another antagonist in mind, but I'm not tellin'... don't wanna spoil the surprise, y'know.**

**Woahnessess: Glad you loved Kaycee and Roxxie's intro and also the part Fin goes Ariel and saves her dream guy, even if he is a kook :)**

**InvaderZara: I suppose even Amber could use a little love, even if she is insane. Also, I'm glad someone thinks Fin's hotter as mermaid. I expected this review to be more a guy thing, but it's a start.**

**Roscieee: Sorry 'bout Fin bein' a bit OOC, but in this story, she hasn't met before that fateful night and therefore doesn't know much about him... yet. Rest assured she'll see his true colors soon enough.**

**CHAPTER 3: SETTING FOOT ON DRY LAND** -

* * *

Deep under the surface of the sea, untouched and unseen -at least by humans-, lies a whole other world only one could possibly imagine. A somewhat utopian-like place, populated by Canadian sea creatures and -ya guessed it- merfolk. They lived and even thrived in peace, knowing their home's safe from any dangerous humans that would threaten to destroy them and their homes. Merfolk knew better than to interact with humans, not because they believed they're all dangerous, but rather because they knew they weren't ready for a world thought to exist only in myth. In the heart of these merfolk communities, lies a palace. This area's where merfolk of royal blood reside, as well their loyal subjects and servants. Alright, we got the background on these merfolk. Now to resume the story.

It's early in the morning at the palace. Just a few servants were up, as was Princess Fin's advisor/trainer Kaycee. She was residing in the stables, tending to the sharks that that had been trained to show restraint around merfolk yet not show suspisious signs that baffle humans. After being dragged last night by Emma and Fin into another of their adventures, she lost 'precious' time to catch up on tending the animal steeds. Kaycee and Jess found it tedious that every time they Fin and Emma went off on their adventures and they didn't drag them along, they would be dragged along just to find them. Their parents even let them swim off and explore the sea unsupervised, much to their dismay. It was Jess and Kaycee who worry about them, mainly Kaycee. The pink-haired teen ALWAYS made a fuss whenever Fin and/or Emma swam off, which irritated them in the process. Letting out a big sigh, she focued on her task. For the next hour was peaceful, just the way she liked it. Too bad it didn't last long when somebody called her.

"Morning, sis!" Roxxie yelled out behind her, startling her big sister and spooking the bull shark into swimming out of the stable. Kaycee growled at Roxxie in annoyance. She muttered a sort of "Good morning", then she went after the bull shark Roxxie spooked to bring it back into the stables before it causes any trouble. Roxxie followed suit.

After Kaycee managed to put the shark back and prevent trouble, with Roxxie's 'help', they glimpsed two figures through the palace window and swam into the hallway through the side gate. Then they saw Fin and Emma. Both mermaids had a dazed look in their eyes and they were pulling petals off sea flowers grown around and in the palace.

"Um, are you two feeling okay?" Kaycee asked, with a smidge of concern. She and Roxxie knew if something was wrong and they didn't report it, they would expect another lecture from Jess. Roxxie swore by the way Jess and Kaycee cared and watched over Fin and Emma that they were their actual mothers.

"Everything's perfectly fine," Fin and Emma said in unison, letting out a happy, lovesick sigh. Rolling their eyes, the Krakenove sisters swam to them. Then in came Jess, who had the very same reaction to Fin and Emma.

"Princess Fin, you and your commoner friend have been out of it for the past three days now. You barely pay attention during your lessons, you keep swimming into walls, and you've even been singing to yourselves." Jess dryly said, arms crossed. Plucking off the last petals, Fin and Emma sighed.

"Jess, have you met someone that made you... how do humans say it... 'all fuzzy inside'?" Fin asked. Jess raised a brow.

"Never had, never will." Jess retorted.

"But you said it yourself when humans fall in love, it's one of the most magical moments in their lives!" exclaimed Fin.

"First, I didn't technically say that. The books did. And second, why under the sea are you and Emma so interested in all this now?" Jess asked. Fin and Emma swam around the room.

"Jess, I think I've fallen in love!" Fin and Emma exclaimed. Roxxie twirled her finger in a "whoope-de-doo" fashion. This kind of behavior they'd expect from Emma, but Fin? Since when does she act this way?

"Congradualtions... now it's just a matter of time before you both get married to your dream guys," Roxxie said sarcastically.

"Girls! We're serious!" Emma cried out.

"Give it time... your silly little crushes'll go by soon enough," Kaycee said. The blonde and redhead mermaids looked at her and then laughed.

"Wait- wait a minute, you think we have a crush on those merman twins from China? We've no chemistry with 'em whatsoever." said Fin. The other mermaids stared at them with arched eyebrows.

"It's not Marshall, either, is it?" asked Jess.

"Of course not! 'Sides, we split long ago. Never felt a spark from him, anyway." Fin said, smiling.

"Then, who's the lucky guys that's 'stolen' your hearts?" Jess asked. They were about to answer when another mermaid and four mermen swum into the room.

The mermaid had blond hair like Fin, but longer, past her shoulders, and perfectly straight and well-groomed, like a true princess would have. Her magenta-striped-tail, arm and dorsal fins, webbing, and shell top were all hot pink, her eyes were light brown, and she had a white dolphin mark on her dorsal fin. She was also a year younger than Fin, but had a proper regal air, being royalty and all.

One merboy had a heavy-muscled build, short black hair in a ponytail, dark brown eyes, and light grey arm and dorsal fins, webbing, and tail with dark stripes, similar in pattern to a tiger shark. In fact, he even had a tiger shark mark on along his lower back.

The other had blue eyes like Fin's, but lighter, and somewhat shaggy, darker blond hair, a lightly-muscled build, and arm and dorsal fins, webbing, and tail in light brown behind, white in front. He also had a hammerhead shark mark on his forehead.

A merman about Fin's size had short, chocolate brown hair that's barely groomed, and had a strong, fierce but noble look on his face and strong but fair dark blue eyes. His heavily muscled build sat atop a red sharklike tail with dark tips. He also had webbing, arm and dorsal fins of the same color. He had the bull shark mark in the center of his chest.

And the fourth merman had a minorly muscular but athletic frame, a deep blue tail, webbing, arm and dorsal fins, and very pale blond hair, and dark blue eyes. He had a flipped-over dark-tailed gray dolphin on his upper back, along the left side of his dorsal fin.

The blond pink mermaid was Samontha Requin, but she prefered Sam and used modern teen ocean/surf lingo whenever she was OUTSIDE the palace walls, though she had never been beyond the reef like Fin had. Sam was calmer, more feminine, and more well-mannered than her sister, but was still a fierce warrioress in defense of her kingdom.

The brunette merboy with the striped tail was Cuvier Requin. He had a BIG appetite (he'll eat almost anything) and a tough but balanced disposition.

The blond merboy was Sphyrna Requin. He was the hammerhead of the family due to his advanced searching skills and environmental awareness. Sphyrna was the tracker of the family, which helped his brothers and sisters greatly when needed.

The red-tailed merman was Leucas Requin, and he was the most aggressive (second only to his sister Fin), had the temper of a bull shark, and was calmed only by his mother or his sister Sam or Fin when either of them was around. He was training to become a shark warrior for defending his clan and his home.

And last but not least, the blue-tailed merman was Flipper Requin, named after the titular dolphin of the same name known to humans the world over, due to his acrobatic build. He was traing to be a mer-scout for his clan.

"There you are, sis!" said Sam.

"You're weren't in your bedroom, again, so we got worried." said Sphyrna.

"Is there ever a time when your highnesses and majesty _DON'T_ worry?" asked Roxxie. Sam, Sphyrna, Cuvier, Leucas, and Flipper shot a glare at the young mermaid.

"It's our parents. They would like to have a word with you. Emma, too." Cuvier firmly told them.

"More like chew us out for leaving the palace again," said Jess.

"Oh, you guys worry too much! I'm positive it's no big deal," stated Fin, as she swam down the hallway to the throne room, the others following suit.  
-

Fin, Emma, her sister and brothers, Jess, and the Krakenove sisters, swam casually into the throne room.

The throne was very elegant and incredibly beautiful. It was round and big- big enough for an orca to swim through and still have room to move about. On each side were merfolk guards with armor made of shells and coral and swords lined with shark teeth.

And at the back were a Dakuwaqa symbol and two thrones, both of which are occupied by the king and queen. Their father had blond hair and brown eyes. On his head was a coral crown tipped with tiger shark teeth. His tail, fins, and webbing were steel gray above and white below and similar in shape to a great white's. on his upper back was a white shark fin. Their mother had brown hair with cerulean streaks and the same blue eyes similar to Fin's. She had a crown fashioned out of coral and shark jaws, with what looked like Megalodon teeth on the tines. Her whalelike tail, arm and dorsal fins, and webbing were black behind and white in front and wore an aquamarine shell top. On her lower back was a black whale tail. In their hands were big tridents made of what seemed to be a metal of some kind, fashioned with coral along the handle end and head, and the tips and side rims decorated with teeth (great white teeth for the king's, orca teeth for the queen's). These two tridents were the symbol of their status and power. No merfolk but the king and queen, or even their descendants could wield its power instinctively. In fact, _only _these improtant merfolk could even remove it from their stands!

Emma, Jess, Kaycee and Roxxie, Sam, Cuvier, Sphyrna, Leucas, and Flipper bowed down while Fin swam up to 'em and hugged her mother.

"Morning, mother!" she said, smiling. Her mother, Queen Aquata Requin, smiled back at her.

"Good morning to you, too. I trust you slept well?" asked the queen.

"I most certainly did," answered Fin. Her father, King Pelekai Requin, smiled at his eldest daughter, too.

"We heard about what happened three nights ago," said Queen Aquata . Fin opened her eyes with surprise, knowing they'd find out about sooner or later.  
"I'm sorry about that! I know we weren't allowed to have made any contact with humans, but I couldn't just float by and watch him drown!" Fin tried to protest, while trying (but **failing**) to hide her blush. Her parents exchanged confused glances. Emma noticed her blush and tried and managed to prevent her laugh for her sake.

"My dear Fin, you're not in any trouble," Queen Aquata told her.

"I'm not?" Fin asked in confusion.

"Fin's not in trouble?" her friends and siblings asked.

"Why, no. As a matter of fact, we would have done the same thing if we were in your situation," her mother said.

"That was a very brave thing you did back there, Fin," King Pelekai said, kissing his eldest daughter on the forehead. Fin let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, so if I'm not in any trouble... then exactly why *_**did**_* you and mom summon me?" Fin calmly asked.

"Well, as you know, in a couple months, you will be considered an adult mermaid," said King Pelekai.

"Plus, you have been in training and teaching about the undersea world. Fin, your father and I discussed it, and we think it's time for you to pass this test. We belive you're ready to take the last step," Aquata told her. Fin looked at her parents, and her sister and brothers, then glanced at her friends. Fin's siblings and friends shrugged, clearly uncertain what the king and queen were talking about.

"Fin, do you know how we merfolk came to know so much about humans?" asked Aquata .

"From observing them," Fin answered.

"Yes, that is partly right. The law does say merfolk cannot interact with humans, but in only when in they are in mer-form," Pelekai said.

"You mean... Dad, are you saying... what I think you're saying?" Fin asked, with a big smile on her face.

"Yes, Fin, it is time for you to observe the human world for what it really is." he said. Fin just grinned, just before the blond gave both her parents a nice, big hug.

"**Thank you**! Thanks so much!" Fin cried.

"Woah, hold on, my lord and lady!" Emma exclaimed. "You can't let Princess Fin go off on her own!" she added.

"Yes, Emma, we are well aware of that..." Queen Aquata said.  
"...which is why you, Jess and the Krakenove sisters will be going with them." King Pelekai said.

"_**Us**_?" Emma, Jess, Kaycee and Roxxie asked.

"_**Them**_?" Asked Sam, Cuvier, Sphyrna, Leucas, and Flipper.

"Yes, our children. Them." said Aquata .

"Kaycee Krakenove, you and Jess have already been up on land in that particular area, so you two are familiar with what they call a resort the humans dwell in," Pelekai said. He looked at Jess. "and Jessica Cetacea, you and Kaycee have been watching over Fin and her siblings since they were pups and you know more about humans than most of us, so it's only fair you two go with her and help her understand more about humans." Aquata said. Jess and Kaycee bowed.

"Understood, your majesties." They said, grudgingly.

"Hey, what about me, your royal highnesses?" Roxxie interjected- **_rudely_**, I must add.  
"**Roxxie Patricia Krakenove**! Mind your manners! You're talking to royalty!" Kaycee snarled at her.

"Girls, girls! _Please_ do not fight. We do not need that here." Sam begged them. The two sisters backed down and faced the king and queen, who shot a glare at the temperamental child.

"Well, as for you, Roxxie, we know you cause -and get into- _a lot_ of trouble, especially without your sister around." King Pelekai sternly said. Fin's sister and brothers nodded in agreement.  
"So Kaycee will be your guardian on land for the next two months. Don't do anything foolish up there, especially not if it exposes your secret identities. So you're going with your sister, whether you like it or not." said Queen Aquata, firmly but fairly. Roxxie crossed her arms and pouted in frustration and muttered "Fine," clearly not having much of a choice.

"And Emma Tursiops, you have been Fin's best friend since you were hardly a calf, and you've always cared for her everywhere she goes, and Fin would love to have you along for the ride." stated the queen. Emma bowed next.

"Yes, your majesty." Emma replied.

"Wait a minute! We-we-we can't go up there! Humans are bad! They are trouble!" Kaycee blabbed.

"Yeah! We've seen what they can do, and it's not pleasant!" Roxxie added, for once in agreement. Fin and Emma swam over to them.

"Aw, c'mon, girls! This is my very first-ever time on land!" Fin stated.  
"And mine, too!" Emma added. The unenthusiastic mermaid sisters bit their lips.

"Alright, alright, fine..." they whispered. Fin gave Kaycee a hug, and Emma did the same to Roxxie, then both of them to Jess.

"Thank you so much!" Fin and Emma wailed in unison.

"Then it's settled. All five of you leave later at daybreak first thing tomorrow," Queen Aquata announced. Fin gave her parents and siblings one last hug before leavin' the throne room -and the palace altogether. The others followed suit.  
...

"Can you believe it, Emma? 'Cause I can't!" Fin asked with well-contained excitement in her voice.

"Me neither! We're finally going on dry land!" Emma squealed, so happy she did a little happy dance. The blond and redhead were swimming about in excitement. Then they turned to their pals, who weren't sharing the same enthusiasm. "What's wrong?" asked Fin.

"You do realize you're only going among the humans for the summer, right?" Jess asked.

"So what? Who cares who long we'll be there? Just the fact of meeting real humans and intereacting with them makes me so stoked!" Fin exclaimed.

"Same here!" Emma replied in agreement.

"Listen, girls, since this is your first time on land, we should give you some main rules to follow." Jess said. Fin and Emma nodded in agreement.

"Rule number one: No humans should find out you're mermaids," said Jess.

"Rule number two: While on land, you can remain in human form until you come in contact with water, after which you'll revert to to your mer-form ten seconds later." Kaycee stated.

"Of course, the only loophole is there's a necklace that negates the effect, which we'll get to in a while," Kaycee added.

"Okay." Emma said.

"We got it." Fin added.

"And rule number three: Most improtantly, never, under _any_ circumstances, fall in love with a human!" Jess exclaimed. Fin and Emma froze at that last comment.

"Say **_what_**?" They asked in utter disbelief.  
"Fin, it's forbidden for a mer-person to fall in love with a human," said Kaycee.  
"Even if the human falls for the mer-person?" they asked in shaken voices. They shook their heads.

"The humans are unaware of the fact that we merfolk exist, therefore the chance of that happening is very slim, almost none, even." said Jess. Fin and Emma fell silent.

"Girls... is everything alright?" asked Roxxie.

"Uh... yes, we're good..." Fin said. But actually, she and Emma were **_REALLY_** hurting bad on the inside. They had found somebody they really like, but to learn it's forbidden now- that had them, like, totally heartbroken. "Emma and I'll see you later," Fin said as she swam back back to her room, followed by Emma. They got there, they sat on her bed and let out a big sigh. Their heads were rushing with emotion. On one hand, they were stoked that they're going onto land, but on the other hand, their hearts were broken about that law. Fin wanted to see that redhead male, whose name and personality she still doesn't know... yet. Emma felt the same way about the copper-haired one, his name and personality also currently unknown to her. These dudes were all they could think about. "We musn't dispair." Fin assured Emma, who felt a smidge of sympathy. 'Wait a minute! I can't possibly be in love with this kook, can I? No! Fin, snap out of it! He's a human and it's forbidden! It's better that way... right?' Fin thought, feeling greatly torn about whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Still, they knew they were gonna see them again. They just knew it!

**Later that same day**

* * *

All five mermaids were all packed up and ready for the trip above the waves. Fin already said goodbye to her parents and siblings, as did Emma to hers. Jess looked at her friends.

"Everything alright, Fin and Emma?" she asked.  
"What?" they asked. "Oh, yeah. We're good." Fin half lied. "So... where on land are we gonna live?"

"Well, there's this staff house, as they call it. From what Kaycee and I have seen, it's a mess. Not many humans like it there due to the gross factor. A handful of humans do live there, though, so we better be careful what we do there. Not a pretty place and humans don't come flocking there, but that's what makes it a decent second home for merfolk who come ashore there." Jess answered.  
"Okey-dokey, we're ready to go." Kaycee said.

"It's about time," Roxxie whined impatiently. All four mermaids nodded. Taking small knapsack-type bags on their backs, they headed for their destination. It was a long swim, probably an hour, one and a half, tops. They passed by a few familiar areas. An eerie ship graveyard hidden from humans for centuries, reefs that were home to different species, and an underwater cave they used to play in as children. They even passed an area known only to merfolk as "Cthulhu's Grotto." Legend had it that a horrific sea monster used to live and was once a pet of some alien-looking being. But everybody knew she was slain long ago. Fin and Emma always felt shivers down their spines when they passed this spot. The group saw the surface, indicating they're getting close. Minutes later they surfaced... at The Office's waters. The five mermaids were just a few meters from the shore. Fin saw a house in the distance- the old one Jess described. When they reached the beach, they hauled themselves on the shore and sat there, well away from the water.

"Now what?" asked Emma.

"Just wait," Jess told her. A few minutes later, Fin and Emma felt something happening to their tails. It started to glow and looked like it was splitting in two. Then, there's a flash, almost blinded them. Once it died down, they uncovered their eyes and gasped at what they just witnessed. Their webbing and fins were now absent, but the most major thing is where their tails used to be, now there was _a pair of human legs_. Emma lifted one of them and wiggled her... what did humans call them again? Oh yeah, toes.

"Is this... _**for real**_?" asked Emma.

"Oh, it's for real, all right." Jess answered. Then Emma turned to her buddies, who had legs, too. They're in outfits contrary to their tail colors, except Emma's which is still pink. Jess was now wearing a yellow sleeveless shirt and short blue skirt with a yellow-buckled white belt. Kaycee now wore a white, sleeveless shirt and short gray shorts, and Roxxie now wore a tiny-sleeved green-striped T-shirt and knee-length blue shorts. Emma now had on a pinkish-white shirt and pink shorts. As for Fin, who Emma turned to, she now wore a pale green sleeveless shirt and green kapri shorts. Fin and Emma smiled.

"I'm- I'm a human! We're actual humans!" Fin exclaimed. Then the excited Emma got up and ran around while Fin just stood up and watched. Then... the stoked redhead tripped on her own feet and fell flat on her face in the sand.

"Uh-huh... I suppose having legs can be rather clumsy sometimes." Fin said, helping Emma up.

"But you'll both get used to it. I promise you both that." Jess put in. Emma and Fin laughed.

"I suppose you're right, Jess." Emma said.

"Come on, let's catch some Z's. Got a big day tommorow." said Jess, walking through the forest path to the staff house. The four girls followed. Fin and Emma were stoked. Their first day as humans. The two best friends just couldn't wait for the morning, and the surprises they were in for...

**

* * *

**

WOW! I just plain did NOT expect this chapter to be this long! Okay, maybe this chappie's kind of a lackluster, but hey I tried. Oh well.

**And yes, Marshal's a merman in this fanfic, but only mentioned once and not featured in this story. Got a problem with that? deal with it.**

**Also, I'd use the name Nightmare's Cove, but that name's already taken.**

**Okay then, so the five mermaids are now humans. What's gonna happen next? Who are they gonna meet at the staff house? :) Stay tuned...**

**Don't even think it, pervs :(! What, y'all thought they'd end up -ugh- naked? NOT A CHANCE, PERVERTS!**

**And bonus points for who can figure out why I gave Fin's parents, sister and brothers the names I chose for 'em. Shark and cetacean (dolphin or whale) lovers especially... Same goes with the last names I picked for Emma and Jess. I figured they could use cover ID for blendin' in among the humans they're about to encounter in the next chapter.**

**R&R, y'all! Reviewers get a cookie or plushie for whoever reviews their fave characters, at least those in this chapter!**


	4. Human Merfolk Interactions

Start: 10-14-10  
Finish: 10-20-10

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stoked or these OC's. 'Nuff said.**

**The Cullens of Death Metal: Glad ya liked it. Didn't expect the H20: Just Add Water reference comment, though. I'm unfamiliar with what program, but I'll still take that a compliment, regardless. No arguments on the tridents. Not sure how the rock power thing works with the trident sitch, though. And no, I plan on havin' Kelly discover this secret later on. Good guess on what she'll do, but no. You're right on the snobby part, though :).**

**WhazzupPeeps: Well, Emma may attempt to get Ty's affections, but I'm not plannin' on a hook-up 'tween those two in this story. I've someone else in mind for Ty... And your comment on the first 3 chapters in 1 review- nice move :)!**

**Woahnessness: No argument here, sister.**

**ON WITH THE STORY!**

CHAPTER 4: Human-Merfolk Interactions

* * *

It was a sunny day at The Office. The sun shone brightly above the horizon.

However, the five mermaids-turned-humans had a rather _ugly _surprise when they got to the staff house. It was REALLY run-down and not well kept. It looked as though it hadn't been maintained for years! And there were two couches on the front porch. Two _couches_! You think they should be there? I think not! **_Ick!_** And don't even get me started on that god-forsaken **STENCH!**

"_Eww!_ What a dump!" Emma complained. "And what is that awful smell?"

"That's what make this place perfect for our hideout!" said Jess.

"You can _**NOT**_ be serious! We're gonna live at this landlocked shipwreck?" Roxxie whined. Kaycee shot a glare at her sister.

"It's either that or in a house crawling with humans constantly spying on us." Kaycee hissed at Roxxie. The twelve-year-old pouted in defeat. Then Fin looked back the way they came. She could still see the sea.

"Eh, at least it has beach access and a nice view of the ocean." Fin stated. The other mermaids nodded in agreement.

"Okay, now that we look human, our last names gotta sound like it," Jess insisted. "Not many -if any- humans have last names associated with the ocean."

"Why? We're only gonna be here for the summer." Emma said.

"You wanna draw unwanted human attention to yourself? People with sea-related last names are sure to draw suspicion in human lands." Kaycee said.

"Ooohhh, right. Good call." Emma replied in agreement.

"How 'bout Johnsonbaugh for me and Kaycee?" Roxxie asked.

"Y'know what? I think that's... not a bad last name, actually." Kaycee said. At last Kaycee and Roxxie are in agreement again. "Johnsonbaugh it is."

"Hmm, I'm thinking... Evans for me." Jess said. "Emma?"

"Let me think..." Emma mumbled, tapping her chin in thought. "Smith?" The other girls gave her a puzzled look.

"What? I heard it's a common last name." Emma stated.

"Fair enough. Emma Smith it is, then." Jess replied in agreement.

"Your turn, Fin." Emma said.

"All righty then. Let's see..." Fin pondered. Then a thought popped into her head.

"Fin McCloud." was Fin's response.

"Hmm, it'll do." Emma said.

"Now that that's settled, everyone have their iShellphones?" Kaycee asked everyone. "We need to keep in touch with each other whenever and wherever we can." They pulled out what looked like seashells with electronic screens on and in them. They were amazingly similar in design and function to the iPhones used by humans, but crafted by merfolk hands.

Fin's iShellphone was light blue. Emma's was light green. Jess had a deep blue one. Kaycee's was light blue with yellow polka dots. And Roxxie's was dark green. They all put their iShellphones away in their respective knapsacks. Kaycee nodded in relief.

And with that settled, they set foot at and into the staff house, uncertain of what they'll witness inside...

* * *

**EARLIER THAT SAME MORNING AT THE PENTHOUSE**

"**_What_**?" Lo cried out.

"You heard me, Lauren. Until you prove yourself to me that you can be responsible, your spa priveleges, your credit cards, your room in the penthouse are all off limits to you!" Mr. Ridgemount announced as he walked away to the door Lo came in. The party last night indeed went _WAY _out of control and as a result, the beach _AND _the hotel grounds got trashed. Lo tried (somewhat), but unfortunately, she screwed up. **Big time.**

"You're moving into the staff house first thing today!" her father added.

'I'm very sorry, Lo, but this is for your own good...' Mr. Ridgemount thought.

"Say _what_? But I need time to pack!" Lo whined. She walked out her father's office, about to protest further, only to see... her luggage has already been packed and ready for transport! Lo couldn't believe it! And beside it all was... her supposedly faithful maid, Rosie. She was a bit shorter than Lo, had tanned skin, short dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a rather tacky purple and yellow maid uniform with an apron.

"You-you knew about all this?" Lo snarled at Rosie. "Why did you let me run around like crazy trying to pick everything up?"

"I don't wanna sleep in a pigsty." Rosie answered.

"This just can't get any worse!" Lo murmured. Boy, was she wrong! The entrance doors opened and in a tan-skinned man with slicked-back blonde hair. His blue eyes were firm and a bit strict. He wore black pants and shoes, and a purple shirt with a gold-colored nametag labeled 'Andrew Baumer.' He was the daytime manager. He pulled a nametag out his pocket and handed it to Lo. This one had her name on it, much to her disappointment.

"Here's your nametag. Get some rest for work tomorrow. You're gonna need it." Baumer told her. Then he walked away. Then Lo shot a glare of irritation at Rosie.

_"Traitor!"_ Lo hissed as the maid put on a grin. "You can forget about that pedicure."

"_**Fine!**_ I can handle this! I mean, how hard can it be?" Lo said. Oh, she was about to find out! Just as she approached to doors, Johnny stepped in, lifted her luggage, and carried it out the penthouse and in front of the elevator. Then Baumer gave Lo a tip that took her by surprise.

"See you at seven-thirty sharp." he told her. Lo raised a brow in wonder.

"Seven-thirty? Like, in the morning?" she asked.

"We gotta get you prepped up for work at the DR tomorrow," he said as the elevator doors opened.

"What's the DR?" asked Lo.

"That would be the dining room- the pirate's ship." Ty informed her.

"And you better get your uniform for tomorrow." Baumer added.

Lo, not believing what she was hearing, slid to the front of the elevator.

"You mean, I have to wear one of those _ugly _uniforms, too?" Lo complained and screeched.  
Just as the doors closed, she added "This is so humiliating."

* * *

**BACK AT THE STAFF HOUSE**

The mermaids treaded onto the front porch with disgust evident on their faces. Roxxie still ain't thrilled about being here, but anywhere was better than in the open in sight of humans. When they reached the door, they hesitated, unsure of what was behind it. Emma, Jess, and Kaycee faced and did a little bit of 'Rock, Paper, Scissors', which merfolk have surprisingly learned from humans long ago, to decide to who had to open the door. After several seconds, Fin, slightly exasperated by them just now, decided to open the door herself and get it over with. The others followed her in.

A few minutes ealier before reaching the staff house, they put on shoes as an extra measure for blending in among humans. For them, especially Fin and Emma, it felt a bit wierd. It was like having shields for their feet. But they'll get used to them in time.

Anyway, they discovered that the inside was every bit as gross as, if not _grosser _than, the outside. They could practically smell the midlew and wood rot. Even Jess and Kaycee were disgusted, as the gross factor inside and out was _filthier _than they anticipated. A least it ain't crowded- not that there were any signs of minutes-recent human activity. Jess volunteered to take the lead to their designated rooms.

"Alright, girls, I'll show you to your designated rooms. Follow me." Jess said. "I've been here a few times before, so I know this house like the back of my fin." she added. "Or hand, as the case may be."

The girls followed Jess up the stairs. They soon stopped at the first door to her left, labeled '207'. Jess turned to them and announced, "Kaycee, you and Roxxie may put your belongings in this room. Oh, and chances are you may have a roommate in there because there's a bunkbed in this one."

"Okay, then." said the 'Johnsonbaugh' sisters. Then they went into their chosen room. They found out Jess was right about the bunkbed she mentioned. There was also another bed to their right. They were deciding who will take which bed to take for later.  
"I got dibs on the regular bed!" Roxxie shouted out abruptly. Kaycee sighed in annoyance, but was glad she got one of the bunks to herself. Least she won't have her annoying little sister above her head while she sleeps.

"All right, this room's for me." Jess insisted as she pointed to a door to her left at the end of a hallway, with the plate labeled '201'.  
"Princess Fin, you and Emma take room 202." Jess said.  
"Fair enough," Fin accepted. "And don't call me princess here. I think that will draw suspicion as well."

"Good point there. Sorry." Jess replied. And so they headed into their selected rooms. In the room Jess picked for herself, there were two beds, a doorless cabinet between them, and a six-drawer cabinet under a window. In Fin and Emma's room, there were three beds in a row on one side and a sofa under a window on the other. Okay, it may not be the ritz, or the Hilton, but it was a somewhat decent home away from home. Soon they stepped back out onto front porch for some much-needed fresh air. Little did they know, however, that the humans that reside in the staff house they just took up already set up shop in and were currently heading back after cleaning up the beach the hooligans trashed.

Some of the humans heading their way were the same ones from the party- Ty, Ripper, Lance, Broseph, Johnny, Kenny and an unhappy Lo, with her luggage in tow. Another one was with them, another female. This one was a redhead, with brown eyes, red lips, a choker and necklace down her neck, and wore a red, sleeveless tank top, green cargo shorts, and dark blue flip-flop sandals. Unlike the others, she didn't surf. She was at the Pirate's Ship at the time of last night's after-school party. She was the manager there.

"Ugh, can you believe those kooks? What dirty _slobs!_" Ty shouted.  
"I know! You'd think they'd learn to clean up their own _`opala_ by now." Kenny stated.  
"**_Oi!_** Stop right there!" Ripper abruptly shouted, holding out his hands and stopping the others in their tracks. They were annoyed by that.  
"Ripper, what's the big idea?" asked the red-haired female. _**"Look!"**_ said Ripper as he pointed to something the staff house, which was just several meters away. They looked in his direction and saw... five girls at the staff house. They were surprised at the sight. They clearly don't remember those girls, nor met them before.

"Who on Earth are they?" the redhead girl asked.  
"No idea. I've never seen them before. Do they come to our school?" Lance wondered.  
"I definitely don't recognize them from town." Lo added.  
"No way they're from around here." Ty stated.  
"They're probably just tourists. But what are they doing at the staff house?" Ripper asked.  
"Good question. I say we ask them." Kenny suggested.  
"Agreed. Let's do that." Johnny replied. And off they went to their fateful meeting...

Emma was on the dirt path, trying to do what humans called a "cartwheel", but, given she was not used to her human legs yet, she kept falling on her face or butt. Hanging from her neck was a white pearl necklace to express purity and kindess and to show she was from the sea. This was what was negating the effects of their transformations back into mermaids when they came in contact with water. Fin saw her best friend and went to pull her up, followed by Jess, right when she landed on her back. Fin, too, was wearing a necklace, only hers was a slim gold chain attached to a great white shark tooth with a purple gemstone for royalty and purpose and an orca tooth with a yellow gemstone for clarity, awareness and alertness- the only one to have two gemstones instead of one like the others. Jess's was a blue whale tail made of stone with a turquoise gemstone on it. Kaycee's necklace was a blue-with-yellow-spots-dyed crab pincer with a blue iris for friendship and Roxxie's was a green sea star with a ruby in the center to express her temper.

"Emma, you okay?" asked Fin, rushing to her friend's side alongside Jess. Emma helped herself back on her own two feet.

"I'm okay, I'm fine. Humans make this look so easy." she said as she brushed some dirt off herself.  
"That's because humans have years to practice. You and Fin, on the other, er, fin, have only been here at least a few hours on land." Jess told her, sighing. Emma let out a small laugh.

"_Aloha kakou_, girls!" A voice came up behind them. They looked to around and saw four male humans and two females, the same ones they saw on the beach last night. The third female, the redhead, they never seen before, though.

"We couldn't help but notice you five and I must say we've never seen you shielas around here before," Ripper said.

Fin, Emma, and Jess noticed what he meant by 'you five' due to Kaycee and Roxxie right next to them. Lance saw Kaycee and stared at her, and Johnny saw Emma and stared at her like they were a dream. Could this be love at first sight? They then shook their heads and came back to their senses.

"**Hi!** My name's Emma Smith!" she said, trying very hard to contain her enthusiasm for meeting humans for the first time. Jess placed a hand on her shoulder and told her "Chillax, Emma." Emma did as she told her.

"N-n-nice to mee-meet you, E-Emma," Johnny said, stammering. "I'm-I'm Johnny P-Princeton." he introduced himself- barely. He had never stammered while talking to a girl before. The other humans noticed this and were a bit surprised by it.

"I'm Fin McCloud," said the blonde dudette. "And this is Jessica Evans, but she prefers Jess." she added motioning over the black-haired teen.

"It's a pleasure to meet you guys." Jess said, politely.

"Name's Ripper Wilson." he told them.

"I'm Kerdra Hamilton, but my friends call me Kenny." said the Hawaiian brunette.

"I"m Kaycee Faythe Johnsonbaugh, and this is my sister, Roxxie Patricia Johnsonbaugh." said the pink-heaired teen. The pigtailed twelve-year-old waved and smiled nicely at them- _for a change._

"Lance Stewart, but they call me "No-Pants Lance." he said. The humanized mermaids were confused about the nickname, but soon shrugged it off.

"I'm Lauren Ridgemount, but everyone calls me Lo," said the pretty, well-dressed, _formerly_-rich girl. "And this is my big brother, Tyler Ridgemount, but everyone calls him Ty, myself included." she added, motioning to her brother, who, as she just noticed, as staring awestruck at the sight of Jess. Lo snapped her fingers in his face, snapping him out of it. Emma saw Ty, and now was at loss for words, but then remembered the forbidden love law, slightly frowning and her fingerscales turned indigo to express this. Also, Ty normally didn't pay at least moderate attention to girls, but with Jess, this was curiously different, puzzling Lo.

"And I'm Kelly Clark." the redhead introduced herself. The humans looked to the staff house.

"Sooo... you're gonna be living _here?_ At the same dump we are?" Kelly sneered. Jess figured there would be some humans taking up residence in the staff staff, but didn't expect this many. Looks like they gotta exercise greater caution here.  
"Oh, yeah. But it's our temporary beach home. We've come here in the summer for at least two months," Fin said. "In fact, it's our first time here." Kendra raised an eyebrow.  
"It is?" Emma asked in a whispered tone.  
"Um, yes. See, we've never been to this resort before. We try to join our pals each year, but we're always busy with something else." Fin half lied.  
"We're new here, and we were hoping someone could show us the way around." said Jess.  
"We'd be happy to," Kenny insisted. The other humans looked at her.

"What? Someone's got to tour them," Kenny stated.  
"Somewhere other than The Office." she whispered.  
"Good call, Kenny." Ripper agreed. They were unaware the mermaids were familiar with The Office- in fact, they came from the waters of The Office. That and they overheard the whispers.

"The Office? We've heard about it." Fin stated, taking the humans by surprise. They couldn't believe they had actually heard of The Office!  
"And chillax, we've learned to respect the sanctity and secrecy of The Office. In fact, we kind of vowed to never reveal this place." Jess added, giving the humans a sigh of relief. Then Fin noticed one thing: she didn't see the blonde-afroed boy or, for that matter, the redhaired male she saved last night. Where were those two, anyway?

_**"Yo dudes!" **_a voice called out. They turned to the source to the call. They saw the same blond boy who was with Lo last night. When he reached them, he noticed some folks he had never seen before.

"Hello, ladies. I'm Broseph Brown." he said, out of breath. The mermaids introduced themselved right away. Lo went right to Broseph's side, in a minorly defensive way, her luggage still in hand.

"Sorry, girls, but he's already taken." she said. Broseph nodded in agreement. The mermaids were confused about what she meant. "Broseph and I are already dating."

"Dating?" The mermaids asked. Emma and Fin, in particular, were more confused about the meaning of the word than the statement.  
"Yes, girls, so I suggest you look for another guy to date." Lo tacked on.

"Relax, Lo, we're only gonna be here for two months, anyway." Emma reassured Lo. Then she whispered to Lo "Besides, I've got my sights set on someone else." Lo turned to Ty, who she figured Emma was referring to.

"Ty?" Lo whispered. She's a bit annoyed by this. "You cannot be serious." Then Lo and Kendra noticed their necklaces.

"Hey, those are nice necklaces you're wearing." Lo blurted out.  
"Oh, thank you." Emma replied.  
"They're all associated with the ocean. You girls are ocean-lovers?" Kendra pointed out.  
"Yes, we are. In fact, we're kinda at one with the ocean." Fin stated.  
"**Nice!** So you respect the ocean? _Sweet!_" Broseph said, giving the girls a thumbs-up.

"Um, Broseph, where's Reef?" Johnny asked. The mermaids were surprised that there was a human named 'Reef'. Fin wondered, this Reef, is he the same guy she rescued?  
"He's currently at his job." he answered. Surprisngly, merfolk had grown familiar with the word long ago, but theirs are a bit... different than human jobs.  
"Which is...?" asked Fin.  
"Surf Instruction." Johnny answered.

"So, what jobs do you guys do there at the resort?" Emma asked.  
"Concierge at the front desk." Johnny said.  
"Bellhop." Broseph replied.  
"Gift shop cashier." said Kendra.  
"Lance and I are in charge of water sports." Ripper said.  
"I'm the manager of the Pirate's Ship, also called the DR." said Kelly.  
"DR?" the mermaids asked in confusion.  
"It stands for Dining Room." Kelly informed them.  
"Oh." was the mer-girls' response.

Fin asked "What about you, uh, Lo, was it?"

"I've just been kicked out of the penthouse and assigned to the DR first thing tomorrow." she complained. Kelly smirked at her.  
"_Kicked out?_ What for?" Kaycee asked, eyes wide in surprise.  
"The party thee days ago went **_WAY _**out of control and I screwed up real bad, so my dad cut me off from my priveleges." Lo answered.  
"Ooh, that is bad." Emma said.  
"You don't know the half of it." Lo replied.  
"What about you, Ty?" asked Jess. Ty just stood there and looked at her. Lo clapped her hands in his face, snapping him out of it, again. Lo raised a brow in puzzle.  
"Huh? What? Oh, I'm a bit of a freelancer. So I'm not employed." He said.

"So..." Ty uttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Are you girls here for the waves and the summer jobs as well as Gromfest?" Wow, the mer-girls sure didn't see that coming! However, Roxxie's not too worried about it, because she's too young for a job, anyway. Then Emma came up with an idea.

"Uh, yeah! We're the new summer staff and looking forward to Gromfest!" the ponytailed girl lied, indicated by her fingerscales turning yellow-green. The other mer-girls weren't too happy about that, as they shot glares at her. Then Jess asked the mer-girls to come in a huddle while keeping the humans out. "Excuse us, will you?" asked Jess. The humans looked on curiously.

"Emma, are you _crazy?_" Kaycee whispered to her, evidently irked. Emma let out a nervous laugh.  
"Yeah, we don't even know what Gromfest _is_!" Roxxie hissed at Emma.  
"We don't know if there's _any _job openings there! They _all _could be full, for all we know!" Jess hissed.  
"We won't know 'til we try." Fin stated. "Plus, on the other fin, we could use the jobs as our cover. The further we blend in, the better." she added. Jess caught on to what Fin just insisted.  
"Good point. Here's hoping." Jess replied. Then they broke their huddle and faced the humans.

"Yes, that we are." Jess said. Their fingerscales turned yellow-green then yelow-orange (indicating establishment) but were behind their backs so the humans wouldn't notice.

"Great! We could use some extra hands." Johnny said. "Now, what jobs do you have in mind?"  
"The DR." Emma and Jess replied.  
"Nice. Decent tip potential there." Johnny added.  
"Surf Instructor. That is, if there's an opening..." Fin insisted. She figured since Reef, the dude she saved, had that job, she just _had _to take it, just to get closer to him...  
"I'll have to see what's available first, then see what I can do from there." Kaycee insisted.

"Very good, then. Follow Johnny. He knows the hotel inside and out. He'll help you find your way around." Ty said. "Meanwhile, I'll help my sis settle down for tomorrow." "This is the worst day of my life." Lo muttered. Lo frowned at the thought of working, but then saw Broseph and figured maybe it _*could*_ be worth it, so she went along with it and followed him in. Kelly, Ripper, Kendra, and Lance followed suit, about to find out which rooms they will be sharing with the mermaids...

Johnny, Broseph, and the new gorms went on their way to the hotel, unprepared for what they were about to see...

* * *

**Wow, yet another long chapter I didn't anticipate! I hope it's worth it. Alright, so the mer-girls are posin' as new summer staff, and just befriended the humans. And don't worry, Reef'll come up soon. And his chance meetin' with Fin... :). Who will they meet next? How badly trashed is the hotel? What will happen next? And how will Reef and Fin react upon meetin' each other? Stay tuned!**

**So, what y'all think of the necklaces I gave the mermaids?**

**And those of y'all unfamiliar with the words Kenny used, here's the translations:**

**`opala - trash**

**Aloha kakou - Hello. (formal, said to more than one person)**

**And PS- the iShellphone- I thought it would be an interestin' to give the mermaids a rather modern touch. It is the 21st century, after all.**

**Also, the name Kelly Clark is _NOT _to be confused with Kelly Clark_son_, period.**

**Read and review, y'all!**


	5. Get to Work!

Start: 10-21-10  
Finish: 10-29-10

**Scarlet: Ask and you shall recieve, as is the case of the work they gotta do first. **

**Constance Faye Dyer: Glad ya think so :)!**

**Roscieee: Paitence, it'll come up in the next chapter.**

**The Cullens of Death Metal: Yeah, so many questions, so little time. Rest assured, those questions and more will be answered with my updates to it. And don't sweat it on your fanfic. Take your time with that, no hurry here.**

**Woahnessness: I'm so glad ya noticed the necklaces, and the little Lance/Kaycee hint :). As for Emma, Ty, Johnny, I figured I'd stay true to the characters, albeit with a twist on Ty's behalf, involvin' Jess...;) Meanwhile, here's a pair-up I put in this chapter in your honor.**

**CHAPTER 5: GET TO WORK!**

* * *

When Johnny, Broseph, and the disguised mermaids got to the hotel, the fish-girls marveled at the outside of it and were impressed by the sight. What they saw inside, not so much. Everywhere they put their eyes, there was the purple orca mascot on every possible surface. Even Emma and Fin found it tacky. Emma even noticed a surfboard with diamonds studded into it. There was just _no way _you would be able to surf on that over-glittered monstrocity, uh-uh!

"Wow, I've never heard of a surfboard with diamonds in it before." Emma said.  
"Okay, that is so fancy feast." said Fin.  
"Yeah... totally fancy feast...y." Emma agreed. She may haved picked up on surf lingo, but when it comes to surfing, she was totally new with it. Then again, she was a mermaid and never been on legs before, so it was a new experience for her. The others, too. Well, except Jess, Roxxie and Kaycee, who had been in human form before.

And they noticed a large... what did they call it again? Oh yeah, aquarium. Or lobbyquarium, as Johnny called it. The girls were even shocked to notice a big shark in the tank. How in the ocean had the humans gotten a big shark in a tank!

Soon they reached the front desk Johnny worked at.

"Okay, girls, this is where I work." he told them. The mermaids didn't look all that impressed.

"Really? Doesn't look like much." Fin stated.

"Well, you'd be surprised." Broseph told her.

"I'll inform the manager about the new staff." Johnny said as he picked up his iPhone.

"Who's the manager at this hotel?" Kaycee asked.

"Andrew Baumer, but we staff members call him 'Bummer', just not to his face." the concierege added.

"Why do you guys call him Bummer?" asked Emma.

"You're about to find out, Emma." Broseph told her. Johnny called on his iPhone and started to inform Bummer about the new staff that just arrived.

"Boss, I've come to inform you that we have five new arrivals, all of them girls, one of which is too young for the jobs here." he said. Johnny got a staticy reply.

"So check them in." the voice called out.

"I could, but they're not guests. They're the new summer staff." Johnny corrected.

"Oh. Well, what jobs are they aiming for?" Bummer asked.

"Well, for starters, Emma Smith and Jessica Evans are looking forward to working in the DR," Johnny said.

"Well, come to think of it, there are two openings in that area. Alright. Waitress for Emma and Jessica it is." Bummer replied. The brunette and the redhead high-fived happily.

"Who's next?" Bummer asked.

"We now have Fin McCloud here looking for a position in surf instruction and Kayce Johnsonbaugh needs to know what others are available first." he told him.

"Fin McCloud... hmmm, I'm afraid that job's full. There's only two open jobs left, which are housekeeping and assistant bus briver." Bummer said. Fin and Kaycee weren't too happy about what they're hearing.

"_**What?**_" Fin screeched in disappointment. She couldn't believe that hope had been dashed! And seriously, a princess, _work_? She didn't even clean her own room (she had maids for that back home)! 'Fin, why do you want to get closer to that Reef dude, anyway? He's just a kooky human! What's the deal with you?' Fin thought. Her emotions are rampant again. Fin tried and managed her best not to embarass herself.

"Oh, sharks, this bites!" Fin complained.  
"Totally." Kaycee put in. Broseph's face lit up in surprise up the moment Fin said that phrase. Is he familiar with the phrase? 'Hmmm... why do I have the feeling these chiquitas aren't what they appear?' Broseph thought as he raised a brow in suspicion.

Fin sighed in exaspearation and threw her arms up in the air.  
"Alright... I'll take housekeeping." Fin called out.  
"And I'll take assistant bus driver. I can't imagine it'll be any better or worse than being a maid." Kaycee grumbled.

Clearly Bummer heard that as he said, "Very well, then. That takes care of that. Now what about the girl with the pigtails?" Johnny was confused as he didn't mention any pigtails. Then he noticed he just came out the locker room and into the lobby, after which Johnny uttered "Oh."

"Well? Who does she belong to?" Bummer asked, impatiently.  
"Oh, she's my sister, sir." Kaycee informed him.  
"I'm Roxx-" she introduced herself, but was interrupted.  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, no time for details. Let's get a move on, people! We still have a mess to clean up! Kaycee, your little sister-" He announced but was suddenly cut off... by Roxxie!

"I have a name, _Bummer_! It's Roxxie, you **_squid!_**" she exclaimed rudely, her fingerscales now dark red. The mermaids, Broseph, and Johnny, and even Bummer were shocked, jaws dropped by her remark.  
"**Roxxie Patrica Johnsonbaugh**, what we told you about your manners?" Kaycee growled at her.  
"Hey, he interrupted me!" Roxxie retorted.  
"That doesn't mean you should talk back to him! It's very rude!" Kaycee said, evidently irked. Feeling embarrassed by the sudden outburst, she formally apologised to Bummer for that. The other mermaids felt concerned and shaken.  
"You'll have to excuse Roxxie. My sister tends to be... **_hotheaded _**at times." Kaycee told him, with emphasis on the 'hothead' part. Bummer accepted her apology, but still not happy.  
"Now, what were you saying before you were interrupted so **_rudely?_**" asked Kaycee, emphasizing that last word and shooting a glare at her sister, casuing her to pout.

"Well, I was saying that your little sister will be outside until the end of your shift. She'll be sent to the beach area. And I'll be sure to send someone to keep an eye on her, in case she steps out of line, _again_." Baumer told her, narrowing his eyes on Roxxie. Kaycee nodded in agreement.

"Before you send her off, sir, I need to give Roxxie some important, and personal, advice to follow." Kaycee told Bummer.  
"Alright, but make it quick." he replied, impatiently. Kaycee nodded and walked over to her little sister.

"Roxxie, I need you to pay close attention." Kaycee whispered to her in a slightly strict manner point-blank to her face. Roxxie nodded, albeit reluctantly.  
"First of all, don't start any fights, and be nice to anyone you meet. We don't need any more trouble." She told her little sister.

"Second, refrain from talking to animals in sight of humans. That's got wierdness and suspicion written all over. The others and I are gonna try our best to do the same." Kaycee added. All merfolk could communicate with animals from in and around the ocean. In Kaycee's case, protective sea creatures, mainly lobsters & octopi, whale & dolphin mothers, & sea birds with nests or young to protect, whereas Roxxie can talk to aggressive sea creatures, mainly some sharks. sea gulls (flocks of them), dolphins, even squid.

"Third, don't let any humans see your fingerscales. Keep them hidden at all times in the presense of humans." Kaycee added. All merfolk had fingerscales that changed color with their moods. Whenever merfolk were in the presence of humans, they kept their fingers curled inwards so their fingerscales didn't draw unwanted attention.

"I'll try," Roxxie grumbled.  
"You'd better, for our sakes. And fourth, never, ever, under any circumstances, announce or reveal that you're a mermaid. So keep your necklace on at all times around humans. Got that?" Kaycee hissed at her. Roxxie nodded in agreement.

"Good," Kaycee said firmly. "now behave yourself while we work. Got it?"  
"Got it, sis." was Roxxie's response. Kaycee then got up and turned to Bummer, who was looking on with a touch of suspicion, even though he didn't and couldn't make out what she just told her sister.

"Alright, we're good to go." the pink-haired teenager told him. Roxxie went to Bummer, though relunctantly, and awaited further orders.

"Now, Johnny, I need you, Broseph, and the new girls at the pool for clean-up duty. And make it snappy!" Bummer ordered. "Roxxie, come with me." And with that, they were on their way.

When Johnny, Broseph, and the new girls got to the pool, they were in for a shock. The pool was as absolute MESS! There was spilled toilet paper _EVERYWHERE_, a pile of burnt chairs used as a bonfire last night, table umbrellas and tables strewn about like logs, and there was even a jeep in the drained pool. A _**jeep**_, for crying out loud! How had they gotten that into the pool? Man, those humans went REALLY out of hand in their three-day absence! They had never seen messes this bad! Even the ship graveyards under the sea back home looked neat compared to this dump!

Soon they were put on scrubbing duty, much to their displeasure. Kaycee even complained, "Dude, this _BITES!_"

"That's resort life for ya." Johnny said.

"What do you mean?" asked Jess.

"Well," Johnny paused in his scrubbing. "Usually we get the afternoon to surf, then some kid has a diaper malfunction in the pool and _**bam**_," he clenched his fist for emphasis. "We're on scrubbing duty,"

They grimaced at that idea at the same time Baumer reappeared. "Okay, people, listen up; do I need to remind you of what will happen if Mr. Ridgemount returns from his damage control survey and still sees this mess? My career will be finished, which means all of you will be fired. _Comprende-vous?_"

They all nodded in answer. And with that, he ran off to find something -_anything_- that would help him fix any of the mess and also please the hotel owners and the guests. After all, he was Bummer. What did you expect? As for how Roxxie was doing so far...

* * *

It had been at least an hour since they were put on clean-up duty, and an hour since Kaycee gave her the advice.  
She was at the beach by herself. Roxxie was so **BORED!** She wasn't allowed to do _anything!_ She couldn't make fun of the stuff in the gift shop, she couldn't laugh when the mascot called Wipeout came by and did his retard dance, she wasn't allowed to interact with the guests, and she was not alowed to visit the human teens she, Kaycee and her friends met at the staff house and whenever she did, this human with short blond hair in a geeky uniform would come and tell her to go away. So here she was, staring at the ocean with her feet in the tide when...

_**BLAM!**_

After she got back up, she noticed a beach ball, then turned to where it came from. In that direction was a volleyball net, and then noticed two boys who appear to be her own age, who were a few feet away from the net and walked away whistling innocently. These boys were, in fact, George and Grommet from the party three days ago. Roxxie was whacked by a beach ball, and girl, was she **_ticked_**, indicated by her fingerscales in dark red (again)! She shot a nasty glare at the new boys who just noticed. This boy duo just launched a ball a few seconds ago, which took Roxxie by surprise. She charged at them like a squid on the attack.

**"HEY! WHAT BY THE SEA IS THE BIG IDEA?" **Roxxie snarled at them. She grabbed George and Grommet by their shirts and lifted them up with incredicble strength by child standards.

Oh sharks, her first day here on this land and already she was getting off on the wrong foot? Kaycee _wasn't _going to like hearing about this, not one bit!

**"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" **George and Grommet said.

"What was that for?" Roxxie repeated. "How 'bout the fact there's others around this beach besides you two! You can't just knock people down and expect 'em to forget it ever happened! _**NOW APOLOGISE BEFORE I BEAT YOU TWO TO A PULP!**_" she shouted.

**"WE DON'T HAVE TO APOLOGISE TO YOU! I'M THE OWNER'S SON!" **George yelled at her with a smirk.

**"LOOK, I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, SPIDER-BOY! NOW APOLOGISE!"** she yelled back.

"Alright! We're sorry, we're sorry!" George and Grommet said with a look of apology.

Having got the hint, she slowly and gently put them back down and let go of their shirts. The boys took a couple steps back but didn't run off, lest they start a chase.

"What, no running away? No screaming in panic? That it?" Roxxie asked in surprise. Usually other kids run away from her after her violent displays of aggression. But not George and Grommet. This was a first for her.

"Yeah, pretty much." said George.  
"Okay, then." Roxxie replied, not knowing what to say to this. Then George's face lit up and asked "Wait, why'd you call me 'spider-boy'?"  
"Because you have a pet spider. Why else?" was Roxxie's answer, which surprised them.  
"How'd you know I..." the blonde boy asked, trailing off.  
"I saw you two chasing after your loose pet at the party three nights ago." Roxxie told him. George, of course, was baffled.  
"But we've never seen you around here." George pointed out.  
"That's 'cause we didn't participate in it." Roxxie explained.  
"We?" The boys both asked in wonder.  
"Yeah, me and my big sister Kaycee. I'm Roxxie Patricia Johnsonbaugh, by the way." she introduced herself.  
"I'm George Ridgemount, and this my best friend, Grommet Brown." he said, motioning over to his blonde-afroed buddy, who waved to her.

Their last names rung a bell in Roxxie's head.  
"Wait, Ridgemount? You're Lo and Ty's brother?" she asked. "And he's Broseph's brother?"  
"You've met them?" They asked in surprise.  
"Yeah, earlier this morning at the staff house. My sister, our friends, and I are new here." she answered.  
"Your friends?" Grommet asked.  
"Fin McCloud, Emma Smith, and Jess Evans." she added.

They were walking and talking for hours. She explained that Kaycee came with her as her legal guardian due to her violent temper and was on a bit of a leash. She also mentioned that she and her pals already knew about Lo's situation. Roxxie also told them she was the toughest girl they had ever met, and that if they double-crossed her, they were gonna get it, which made them chuckle. Roxxie even stated that she always was a lover of the ocean when they noticed her sea star necklace, all without even _remotely _mentioning that they were mermaids. Or that they came from the ocean, for that matter. Grommet raised a brow in suspicion. She then looked at her watch. Is clean-up duty even close to finished by now?

"I gotta go now. My sister expects me to be back at the hotel entrance when she gets back. If not, she'll have a panic attack." Roxxie stated. George and Grommet understood. "Okay, see ya!"

Roxxie made it back to the hotel entrance two minutes before the others showed up. They were evidently feeling pretty sore from their clean-up campaign, but it's all taken care of. And right before a black limo came, too. And out of it came... a young woman, somewhere between her late thirties and late forties, with blue eyes, short brown hair, and golden earrings, and wore a pink and yellow shirt, blue jeans, and designer shoes. And then came next was... a big man (_REALLY_ big by human standards!), in his late forties, wore a black suit, had a muscular build, slicked-back brown hair, green eyes, a square jaw, and a tough but fair air to him. They both came through the double doors. They just got back from their damage control campaign. The woman noticed the new girls alongside Broseph and Johnny and walked over to them, followed by the big man.

"Johnny, who are these girls with you and Broseph? New guests? I've never seen them before." she asked.  
"They're the new summer staff, Ms. Ridgemount." Johnny answered. The girls were shocked by the mention of the name.  
"You're Lo's mom?" The girls asked simultaneously.  
"You've met our daughter, haven't you?" she asked.  
"Yes, back at the staff house. She just showed up there after we did, luggage and all." Jess said.  
"And she told us the reason for it all, too." Emma tacked on. Then up came the big man.  
"Hello, ladies. Care to introduce yourselves?" He asked them.

"I'm Fin McCloud, and these are my best friends, Emma Smith, Jessica Evans, Kaycee Faythe Johsonbaugh, and that's her sister, Roxxie Patricia Joshnsonbaugh." announced the blonde, motioning to her respective friends. "And you are...?"  
"I'm Archimedes Ridgemount, and you just met my wife, Nancy Ridgemount." the big guy told them.  
"Pleasure to meet you, sir." Fin said, politely.  
"So, how was your first day here?" he asked.  
"It was rough, but managable." Emma answered.  
"Had to help clean up the mess from last weekend's party, huh?" inquired Ms. Ridgemount.  
"You have no idea." stated Jess. Then Ms. Ridgemount asked "You got any jobs here?"  
"Yeah, we did." answered Kaycee. They each explained what job they got.

Then Mr. Ridgemount urged his wife "Come on, dear. We need to take our break while we can. That damage control survey of ours was very tiring and difficult, especially with our boat trashed for the past two days."  
"Well, nice meeting y'all." Ms. Ridgemount said to the newcomers. And with that, they moved on.

* * *

The room was dark with no light except the rays of light coming in through the few windows in the room, the active monitor screens surveying some other hotel and what looked like a big crystal ball in the center of the room, surveying Surfer's Paradise. There was a chair facing the giant crystal ball, and sitting in it was a man in the shadows, drumming his fingertips along each other in anticipation for... something. Then a door behind him opened and in came... Amber Green? What was **_she _**doing here...? The crazy redhead walked up to him and bowed down on one knee, then the man in the chair spoke up.

"Report, Amber." he said in a dark, mysterious tone.  
"The party calamity you instructed three days ago was settled quicker than we hoped, but on the bright side, our spies did manage to sabotage Mr. Ridgemount's boat unnoticed, which set him back for two days." Amber reported. "As did the jeep we hotwired to charge into the pool last night. And we're also prepared to put 'em a step back on the surfing contest this weekend. Or at least defeat your rival in it. Which tactic do you want us do about the contest?"

"Not what I expected, but it's a start." he said. "Always knew I could count on you to do your tsk. Hmm, I say we beat my rival in the contest, run 'em into the sand. What's up next?"

"There's preparations for the summer beach bash mid-summer and Gromfest at the end of summer. They've just gotten started with the decorations and banners for the beach bash." Amber announced. "Shall we deprive them of their party favors and whatnot, my lord?"

"No, I say we crash the party at the height of the Ridgemounts' glory, then the ocean -and perhaps the world- will be open, for total domination!" He told her, then cackled evilly. Amber joined in right after. Then the mysterious man raised his right hand.  
"Okay, that's enough." He said. She stopped immediately.  
"Take them with you and survey the competition, gather intel on who we're up against. And don't expose anything that indicates our true nature." He ordered. "_Or our intentions._"  
"With pleasure, my lord." Amber replied with a crazy grin on her face, and even a sinister glint in her eye. Then she stood back up and walked out the way she came, and was soon gone. Then the man in the shadows grinned and his eyes glowed a sinister red with malice, planning something BIG, whatever it is...

* * *

**Well, this was quite a challenge! And worry not, folks, Fin's gonna meet Reef soon enough...**

**And don't bother askin' me who the man in the shadows is. 2 words: No spoilers. Surely you understand (I hope). And whoever guesses this guy right, don't say it. Seriously, don't. I planned to keep him a surprise until much later in this story.**

**Who was that man in the shadows (don't answer this one- it's rhetorical)? What did Amber have to do with the party disaster? What spies was Amber talkin' about? And who's "them"? What are Amber and 'her lord' up to? What are they plannin'? And how will Fin react upon seein' and meetin' Reef? Stay tuned, y'all :)!**

**P.S. Dolphins _ARE _predators, don't ever forget that. They may look cute, but in reality, they ain't. Look it up.**

**And don't forget to review, y'all!**


	6. What a Rough Day!

Start: 10-29-10 Finish: 11-2-10

**The Cullens of Death Metal: Yeah, no kiddin'. Why the Brown brothers are suspicious of the disguised mermaids may surprise ya when I eventually reveal their connection to 'em. Which I'll keep a surprise. Not sure why ya find the name Archimedes amusin', but I'm glad it made your day in a good way. And no, the man in the shadows and Amber ain't merpeople, but I'm not revealin' their true selves... yet. Ya nailed the spies part pretty good, though :). I doubt Captain Clam would make a good spy, though, since I find the mascot costume to be a bit too high-profile. Really good try, though, seriously.**

**The Writer With No Name: Well, thanks for the advice. I feel that helpful advice from 1 writer to another's always welcome. I'm still a bit of a rookie at this sorta thing. Really appreciate it, seriously. Thanks.**

**Woahnessness: Glad you liked it!**

**CHAPTER 6: What a Rough Day!**

* * *

They soon followed Bummer into the locker room for their first-day prep-ups and their uniforms. They were sure not gonna like this...

Emma and Jess got their uniforms for the DR, which were not quite what they expected.

"Oh, sharks," Fin shook her head. "That is _so _bad."

Their uniforms for the Pirate's Ship, well, they stunk. A reddish-purple, old-time wench type dress with black flats and a bandana in the same colour holding back their hair.

"Seriously, we really have to _wear _these? With all due respect, we find them a little tacky." Jess protested.  
"What she said." Emma added, their arms held out in disgust.

"They're authentic wench costumes dating back to the eighteen hundreds, Deal with it." Bummer approached, holding something of a sickly yellow color in his hands.

He held it out to Fin and that's when she realized it was her uniform; a yellow dress with a purple apron. She snatched it from him and held it up for scrutiny. "Crabs, this is so lame. I'd rather be stung by a jellyfish swarm!"

"Well," Bummer explained. "Research shows that guests prefer their housekeepers looking respectable. It makes them feel like you won't actually steal their possessions,"

The girls gaped at him and threw a disbelieving look at Bummer. She looked just as shocked at what he had just insinuated. Fin whirled back around with an offended snarl, teeth bared, hand tightening around her uniform, fingerscales now dark red.

"Hey, I don't steal anything! I'm not a thief! **Got that?**" Fin protested. The comment startled Bummer into taking a few small steps back, something that hadn't happened before, which Broseph and Johnny, both of whom wore a purple shirt with shorts of a lighter shade of the same color, noticed. Then Emma poked her head around Bummer,

"Just put it on and get it over with." she hissed.

Fin hesitated for a moment and the girls made shooing motions with their hands. With a dark scowl and an eye roll, she vanished into a change room.

A few seconds later, Fin stepped out of the change room she was in, brushing something off the apron of the dress. They all turned to her and cringed at the sight of the housekeeping uniform. Now that was pretty bad.

"Okay, this is so humiliating, but I suppose it could be worse." Fin grumbled.

"Attention, listen up all of you, eyes on me," he stopped near Emma. "You may have heard a rumour that I have a tradition of firing one employee on the first day...that rumor is completely untrue," The girls exchanged curious glances.

"Sometimes it's more than one," Bummer finished.

"Actually, we haven't heard of this rumor. We're totally new here." Fin told him. Bummer didn't expect that.

"Really?" Bummer asked incredulously. "Wow, that's a first." Then he straightned up and started his big announcement.

"Now, your performance in training today will be rated by your supervisors, so I suggest that you give them your full attention," Bummer announced. "Any questions?"

"Yeah, just one: Where do our jobs take place?" Kaycee asked.

"Johnny and Broseph will show you the way to your jobs. Now. Let's. Get. **Prepped!**" Bummer called out.

And then Emma sighed and slumped over, a depressed look on her face.

"Oh, I hope I don't mess up," she worried.

"Relax." Fin said, placing a reassuring hand on the other girl's shoulder. "How hard could serving food be, right?"

"We'll soon find out." Jess put in, with a hint of unease in her voice.

* * *

Everybody got to their job destinations thanks to Johnny's expertise. Emma and Jess headed to the Pirate's Ship, aka the DR, Fin was sent off with Rosie, whom she was introduced to minutes ago, Broseph, who showed Kaycee he worked as a bellhop, led her to the Whale Bus, which she admitted was rather tacky and pathetic. As for Roxxie, who was too young for the jobs here, she asked the coincidentally present Mr. and Ms. Ridgemount, along with George and Grommet, if she could hang out with them while her sister was at work. They accepted but he told her strictly but firmly to behave herself because Bummer informed him of her temper. Roxxie was a little bit scared of Mr. Ridgemount, with just cause.

Rosie was teaching Fin housekeeping one-o-one, which was a whole new ball game for the blond girl, especially considering she was royalty. They went from guest room to guest room, cleaning up after those oh-so-messy guests. Fin was just plain unhappy about it, but she perservered.

Emma and Jess headed into the kitchen, led by Kelly, who already turned up there, already in her uniform, which was a purple, gold, and red dress coat, indicating she was the manager, and she wore a pirate hat with a red feather and also an eyepatch on her left eye. She showed them the ropes, albeit snobbily and bossily. Jess even stated to Emma that Kelly had the attitude of a great white in a feeding frenzy without letting anyone else hear it. Jess barely held on to her first two sets of dishes, and Emma accidentally dropped at least **_three _**sets of dishes just while getting through the double doors that led into the dining room! And as if that wasn't bad enough, Emma and Jess had to deal with four mischievous human children, Todd and Mark Marvin and Erica and Brianna Jones, who were running amok throughout their shift, making their jobs even harder. They managed to make some progress, though- _**barely**_.

Broseph did his best escorting the guests luggage from lobby to guest room. Kenny, who was already at her job, was working at the gift shop alongside her friend Tara. Johnny was the front desk, checking new guests in.

As for Kaycee, she had the most relief, since her supervisor was a chilled-out, laid-back old man who called himself Kahuna. He wore green cargo shorts, flip-flop sandals, and an undone yellow shirt over a white one, and he had blond hair and a goatee. Kaycee could have sworn she heard that name before, but shrugged it off and went on with her job. Kahuna just showed her how to work the whale bus in a calm, carefree manner. For some reason, he took good notice of her necklace and the blue octopus mark on her back like he was familiar with these features, but didn't make a big deal of it.

Meanwhile, Roxxie played around with George and Grommet in the volleyball area they met at. Well, Mr. and Ms. Ridgemount came with them to keep an eye on Roxxie in case she got steamed again (saving Bummer the trouble), urging Roxxie to exercise great caution around them. At least Roxxie won't be bored now.

And it had gone this way for a couple of hours.

* * *

The beach was half-crowded with humans. Some surfing, others playing frisbee or volleyball on the sand, others frolicking in the shallow water. On one area of the beach was a surf shack with lots of surfboards and there was also a couple of blond girls taking lessons from their surf instructor. That surf instructor was Reef.

Reef was dressed in a tight purple tank top that was accompanied by a pair of purple swim trunks. Reef was lying on a surfboard, as were the girls, showing them how to propel themselves on their boards. Then he showed them to pop up on their boards, then to do the hula hands for balance, which they did with flying colors. Then he looked at his watch. It was the end of his shift now. And the others', too.

"And that, ladies, conclude's the Reefster's surf class for now." He said with a confident grin on his face. The girls he was teaching giggled and moved on. As soon as they left, Reef suddenly sagged his shoulders in depression. He was sad he still didn't and couldn't find the girl who saved him three nights ago.

"Ugh, that voice and those eyes- I _still _can't get 'em out of my head. I've looked everywhere. Where could she be?" he wondered. The memory of Fin's singing voice and blue eyes had been burned into what passed for his mind and had plagued him for the past three days since that fateful night, and everyone at the resort, including his friends, minorly noticed this and the current gossip involved how he was rescued by a mystery girl offshore at night and his need for her whereabouts and identity. Numerous girls tried to meet this demand, alas, they all failed. Reef was never impressed with their attempts, and knew deep down **_none _**of them fit the bill to begin with.

He looked back out to the sea and moved on from his job site and headed back to the staff house.

* * *

The girls had returned to the staff house from their jobs and sat on the sofas in the front porch. They were expressing their dismay of their jobs. And stated that they've never been through this much stress. Kaycee, however, was the exception, considering her supervisor was Kahuna. The girls wondered where they had heard that name before.

Then Ripper, Lance, Kenny, Johnny showed up just as Lo came out of the staff house. They noticed how unpleased they were and knew how they felt. Then Kendra came up with an idea to cheer them up.

"Hey girls, what do you say we go blow off that steam with a little sesh? What you think?" Kenny asked. The mermaids considered it right away and figured they could do something worth all this torture they went through today.

"Great! We could use some relief." Emma said.

"Good. Change into your bathing suits, get your surfboards, and follow us." said Kenny. The mermaids froze at what Kenny just told them. Lo looked at them and raised a brow in concern.

"What? What is it?" Lo asked in wonder.

"We don't have either swimsuits or surfboards." Kaycee informed with a nervous laugh.

"And some of us have never surfed before." Fin added. The humans were shocked by what they were hearing. Then Lo came up with a solution for them.

"I got it! We do you girls say to some shopping?" Lo suggested.

"Great idea, Lo! I just **_love _**to shop!" Jess exclaimed, her hidden fingerscales now light yellow with joy. Jess had a love of shopping ever since she was little. In fact, Jess loved to shop back at SeaGrass Reefs Mall back home. Merfolk, mostly mermaids, had grown to grasp the concept of shopping in the twentieth century, but unlike humans, they didn't use dollars. In fact, they never put prices on, for instance, water/air-powered electronic appliances (amazingly made possble by merfolk), fashion items, jewelery, books or scrolls, etc. Physical care products like brushes or medical treatments, or repair services especially required no such thing. In fact, merfolk saw no reason whatsoever for that on these basic necessities and whatnot, as they always found money to be a needless human triviality.

"Really? Me too!" Lo said.

"No offense, Lo, but didn't your dad just cut you off from your credit cards?" Johnny pointed out.

"Oh, Good point." Lo said glumly as her shoulders sagged, then lifted her head, brow raised in wonder. "Does anyone have enough money five swimsuits and five surfboards?"

"I'll do that for you. I've worked up just enough money for all of that over the past four days." Kenny said. This was spretty surprising, too, considering her job position, along with the fact that it was only four days into the summer. Clearly, this summer had been getting pretty busy pretty early!

"Great! I'll come with. I'll be the judge of things." Lo insisted. Kenny agreed.

"C'mon, girls, let's help find what suits your tastes." Lo added. The mermaids followed suit.

And off they went...

**Two hours later...**

The girls went down to the public beach for a surf. Fin and Emma were familiar with this concept. They had seen humans surf countless times. They always found surfing to be one the most fun and creative things humans came up with. Of course, none of the girls had surfed before. Fin was very confident in trying it out. Emma, a little less so.

The groms and seniors went down to the beach for a little relaxation before they had to punch back in. They were in swimwear now and surfboards to go with them (except Kelly), five of which matched their tails and shell tops. The mermaids still wore their necklaces. The new girls even brought their iShellphones with them, strapped to their upper arms or hips. They already explained to their newfound human friends they were their iShellphones and made the custom designs themselves, the latter of which was false (except for Fin, given her independence).

Fin wore a yellow rash-guard with what looked like a Fresh TV logo on it and a purple bottom and was carrying a lavender tie-dye surfboard.  
Emma now wore a light pink bikini and carried a hot pink surfboard with light pink Hawaiian flowers. Jess now wore a blue, sleeveless, shirt with a white stripe down the side and small board shorts in white with blue vertical stripe on the side and was carrying an aquamarine surfboard with a humpback whale on it, the sight of which had Ty in an awestruck daze. Kaycee wore a bikini with Spongebob's face on one side and yellow polka dots with a blue backround and bottoms are blue and yellow stripes and her surfboard was all covered with stickers, the sight of which got Lance in an awestruck trance. And Roxxie wore a two pieced green swimsuit with a dark green flower in the center of her shirt and her surfboard was light blue on one side, dark blue on the other with black and white stars and a wolf on it.

Lo wore a white bikini with pink lining and carried a yellow and purple surfboard (and still had her trademark flower hairclip), and was holding Broseph's hand, as usual. Broseph wore his white swimtrunks and was carrying a yellow surfboard with light-yellow lines. Kenny wore the same blue bikini from last night's party, now with a white surfboard with light blue stars on it. Kelly was now in a white-and-red striped bikini, but since she didn't surf, she didn't have a surfboard. Ty was in his dark green swim trunks with a green surfboard in hand. Ripper was in his dark orange swim trunks with an orange surfboard with some design on it. Lance was in his blue swim trunks, as always, explaining his nickname, now with a surfboard. Johnny was in his wetsuit and carrying a blue surfboard.

"I am so **STOKED**!" Fin exclaimed, with a fist pumped into the air for emphasis, her still-hidden fingerscales bright yellow with joy. "Are you girls looking forward to this?" Her friends nodded in agreement. Then someone called out.

**_"Yo dudes!"_** a familiar voice called. The groms and seniors turned their heads to the right. Even Ty and Lance snapped out of it. They saw Reef coming their way. Fin was ecstatic about the fact that he, the guy she rescued and figured must be Reef, was coming over her way, but then recalled the law and frowned slightly, her fingerscales turned to dark purple to express her gloom. 'Aw, c'mon Fin! What do you even see in that kook, anyway?' she thought. Emma was just beginning to notice, if just barely. Then in came Reef. He was now in his red swim trunks, red surfboard with a cow skull on it in hand. He immediately noticed the new girl groms.

"Hey, who are the new girls?" asked Reef. "I'm Reef Volotres."  
"Kaycee Faythe Johsonbaugh." said the magenta-haired girl.  
"I'm her sister, Roxxie Patricia Johsonbaugh." Roxxie said nicely, for a change.  
"Jessica Evans, but my friends call me Jess." the ponytailed brunette announced.  
"Emma Smith." said the pink-loving redhead.

"Nice to meet you ladies." Reef told them proudly. Then Fin, who was looking out to the sea, flipped her hair unconciously, which grabbed Reef's attention, and the moment he laid eyes on Fin, he felt starstruck.  
"Hello... didn't get your name." Reef said in an almost-daydreamed tone. Fin then snapped her attention back to him and introduced herself.

"Fin McCloud." the blond announced.  
"Cool name." Reef replied. Fin smiled.  
'Cool name?' That's the best you can come up with? Stupid, stupid, stupid!' he thought. Reef noticed her necklace, and blabbed to her, "Hey, nice necklace you got there. Not everyday I see a necklace with two animal teeth on it. I can tell one of them's from a shark, like mine, but what animal's the other one from?" Fin accepted the comment and replied, "This one's from an orca."  
"So, you're a lover of sharks and orcas? Nice." Reef said.  
"Yeah, those two animals have always been my faves." Fin added. This was true. Fin had a thing for sharks and orcas since childhood. In fact, she can also communicate with tough sea creatures, mainly sharks -often great whites-, orcas, sea gulls, and who knows what else... Fin even had the mark on her belly in the form of her two favorite animals.

Then Reef noticed one specific feature on Fin- her eyes, as blue and beautiful as the sea.  
"Hmm, your eyes, they seem... very familiar to me." said Reef. "Have we... met?" This took Fin by surprise.  
'He can't still remember that, can he?' Fin thought, eyes opened in surprise.  
"Eh, no." she lied smoothly. The other mermaids shot a glare of shock without the humans noticing.  
"Huh. Coulda sworn it was you I saw last night. Maybe you're not the one with the singing voice, either. Guess not." Reef said.

"So, you here for the surf competition? And Gromfest?" the redheaded male asked.  
"Uh, yes. That we are." Fin replied. She and the other mermaids heard about it from Lo and Kenny during their shopping spree.  
"And we've never been in a surfing contest before." Emma put in.

"Awesome!" Reef exclaimed. "We dudes could use a challenge." Fin raised a brow.  
"Excuse me?" Fin inquired, brow arched.  
"Maybe after you dudettes bail badly, I could teach you to stand on your boards right or kick a ball into the goal properly." Reef bragged. Oh, boy. This wasn't going to be good.  
"Oh, _really_?" Fin asked. "Well, I should have you know that I'm a ten-time soccer champion, ranked number seven in the world." Fin was smart to leave out the 'sea' in 'sea soccer', since humans had never heard of soccer's underwater counterpart, as far as they knew. Fin really was a ten-time sea soccer champion back home. In fact, she even won a few international sea soccer tournaments held and sponsored by her parents back home!

"Yeah, in the _girls category_." Reef bragged. The mermaids and humans (even Kelly) dropped their jaws at that statement.

'And to think I had _**feelings **_for this human? And I actually rescued this- this- _**toolshed**_? **Ugh!** That kook is _so _going down!' Fin thought, eyes narrowed and glaring. Her fingerscales turned dark red with anger.

"Oh no, he didn't just say that." mumbled Kelly. Then Fin did something that took the humans by surprise. She stepped on his foot and talked back at him!

**"OW!"** Reef exclaimed.

"Oh yeah? Well, let's see if you can manage to keep your place in the contest after I show you how much butt a girl can kick!" Fin yelled at him, her fingerscales in dark orange to express her aggression and thirst for action. "Prepare for a splashdown!"

"Splashdown?" The onlooking humans asked in confusion, since they were unfamiliar with the term. When merfolk got in arguments that must be settled without actually hurting each other, they settled disputes in a splashdown, which varies from activity to activity, such as sea soccer, spongeball, pufferball, etc, all monitored by the king and queen of their kingdom/community- Fin's parents in this case. Whoever won depended on the activity they took part in. Weapons had been refused and forbidden in splashdowns for safety and peace reasons. However, this was usually settled between arguing mer-people, but _rarely_, if _ever_, between a mer-person and a human. This was going to be... interesting.

"I dunno what a splashdown is, but, well, I'll accept your challenge, so bring it on, betty!" Reef said.

"Oh, I will, and don't call me betty, you kook!" Fin said back to him. Fin had grown familiar with surf lingo used by humans, but she grew discomfort from being called a 'betty'. In fact, she grew to take it as... _an insult_. Reef and the other humans opened their eyes in surprise at what Fin just called him.

"Wow. That's a first." Reef uttered in surprise. "You're the first girl in my whole life to ever call me that."

"I gotta hand it to Fin: she's got nerve." Lo stated in surprise.  
"No kidding." Broseph replied in agreement.  
"Well, that's Fin for ya." Emma reminded them. Then Reef let out another _**"OW!"**_, this time hopping on one leg and holding his left shin. Roxxie just kicked him right in the shin!

"Roxxie, that wasn't necessary!" Fin told her.  
"Reef was being **OBNOXIOUS, AND HE INSULTED US GIRLS!**" Roxxie yelled out.  
"Doesn't give you the right to hit or kick people! You're about as violent as a jumbo squid in a freeding frenzy!" Kaycee shouted back.  
"But he showed us the reason you and I find his species _barbaric _and _brutish_!" Roxxie shouted to her, suddenly eyes wide with shock from what she just said out loud, then turned her eyes to the humans, who gave confused and perplexed glances. Broseph, however, raised his brow in suspicion, though still shocked at Roxxie's words. The mermaids, Jess, Kaycee and Roxxie in particular, let out a nervous laugh.

"My _**species**_...? What do you mean by that?" Reef asked in confusion.

Kaycee was about to make up an excuse for Roxxie when a few voices called out. A few voices Reef and his friends hoped not to hear.

"Oh, **_Reef!_**" a female voice called out.  
"How's your 'contest' comin' along, **_dude_**?" a male called, laughing arrogantly.  
"And who's gonna be our so-called _'competiton'_?" another female voice snobbily asked.

"Oh no. Perfect." Reef nagged. "Not those three _haoles _again."

* * *

**Ooh, cliffhanger! Bonus points to whoever guesses the three individuals callin' out to the staff of Surfer's Paradice. And to whoever guesses the reference to Reef's 'can't get 'em out of my head' comment, as well :)**

**And yes, Fin finally meets Reef again, this time on land, just as I promised :). Sorry to keep you ReeFin fans hangin'. But here we are!**

**Oh, and for those of y'all who are wonderin'...**

**SeaGrass Reefs Mall- my parody of Sawgrass Mills Mall**

**Sea soccer- self-explanitory.**

**Spongeball (_NOT _to be confused with Sponge_bob_, period)- think basketball, but underwater**

**Pufferball- like football, but underwater and with an inflated pufferfish for the ball, hence the name**

**I figure merfolk could be use some forms of underwater entrtainment that doesn't involve or even _allow _bloodshed (heaven forbid), hence the splashdown. I also figure the merpeople could use a wide array of hobbies in modern times, way I see it. Plus, what would merfolk do with money, anyway? Not like it's any good or any use in water, anyway.**

**As for the troublemaker child quartet, I figured it just wouldn't be Stoked without those little mischief-makers. And yes, the Jones last name for Erica and Brianna was my personal touch.**

**And don't forget to review, y'all!**


	7. Am I Feeling a Connection?

Start: 11-2-10 Finish: 11-3-10

**WhazzupPeeps: I greatly approve of your comments on all the above, but no, this chapter ain't where Grom Initiation takes place. Very close guess, but no.**

**Choco3Symphony: I'm pleased ya love the Stoked mermaid idea! 'Nuff said.**

**JessaaCullen: Glad ya like it!**

**The Cullens of Death Metal: Ding ding ding! You guessed 'em right! The trio is in fact, Amber, Tuna, and Betty. Also, it wouldn't Stoked without Reef & Fin arguin', now would it? And here's what happens next.**

**Constance Faye Dyer: I believe you're thinkin' porcupine fish in the pufferball part. I don't think even merfolk would wanna smack their hands or tails into somethin' prickly, so no they don't use a porcupine fish as the ball, but a smoother-lookin' kind of pufferfish.**

**Wouldn't say cannibalism, 'cause that's eatin' a member of your own species, last I checked. Still, I don't they'd be happy to see fish bein' served or eaten, Jess less so.**

**Glad ya liked the Loseph touch I put in it :)**

**And rest assured you'll get your splashdown in the next chapter :)!**

**Woahnessness: Glad ya liked the previous chappie :)!**

**And from here on out, if ya see this ( ), it marks a translation for Kenny's Hawaiian words and phrases. I put 'em right after she says 'em. I figure it'll save y'all the trouble of strugglin' with what means what.**

**CHAPTER 7: Am I Feeling a Connection?**

* * *

The groms and seniors of Surfer's Paradice craned their heads to the back of the beach, where the three voices came from. Reef's suspicions were confirmed.

The first female was none other than... Amber Green. And this time, she didn't come alone. Alongside her came two people, a guy and a girl. The guy had short dark blond hair, brown eyes, and a somewhat muscular frame in yellow swim-trunks. He was carrying a yellow-green surfboard with him. On his chest was the face of a golden-brown, streamlined cobra head.

The girl beside him had tanned skin, long, pale blond hair, pink eyeliner and lips, and wore a pink bikini and two small necklaces, and carried a pink surfboard in hand. She had a yellow & black banded sea snake coiled along her left hand.

Amber, on the other hand, wore a bikini that was black to reflect her aura of fear and mystery and purple stripes to show her desire to remove some... _obstacles _in her way. and her surfboard was midnight blue with what looked like Chthulhu on it, with a rocky, stormy shore background. In fact, she even had a Chthulhu's head tattoo (with a toothy mouth beneath the tentacles) on her stomach that looked like a inky black octopus with malevolent red vertical-pupiled eyes and a red-and-yellow-striped forehead above the eyes, which the mermaids seemed to notice. Had they seen it somewhere?

_**Everyone **_on the shore, especially the guys, but except the staff, backed away from them. Well, primarily Amber, because she was giving the crowd the _creeps!_ There was something really creepy about her... Even the mischievous, rambunctuous, troublemaking Todd and Mark Marvin and Erica and Brianna Jones cowered behind their parents whenever Amber came within thirty feet of them, she was so creepy and bratty!

"Amber Green, I'll tell you again, I will _**not **_be your boyfriend!" Reef groaned to her. This surprised the mermaids a bit.

"You know her?" Fin asked.

"Yeah, unfortunately." Reef groaned as Amber and her two lackeys came closer.

"Oh, that's not what I came here for today, Reefy-Weefy." said Amber. Lo, Broseph, and even Roxxie cringed and gagged at her 'pet name' for Reef. Even Fin cringed her face in disgust at the sound of that pet name. Reef's eye twitched at the pet name, too.

"Then why are you three haoles here?" asked Broseph, his brow raised in discomfort.

"To sssee who we're competing againssst in thisss weekend'sss sssurf contessst." the blond girl blurted out with a hiss in her voice. The blond guy then noticed the new girls and smirked at Reef.

"I sssee you got a harem of new would-be sssurfersss on your crew. Having trouble finding a date again, Reef?" the blond boy asked with a hissing tone, causing Reef to blush and growl in irritation.

"You mean, Reef has never bonded with a girl?" Fin inquired.

"Never long-term." Broseph and Lo told her. "No spark from any girl we set him up with." Johnny put in.

"That explains everything." Fin replied sarcastically.

"None of your business, Tuna McGillis!" Reef snapped at the blond surfer dude. The mermaids were surprised to find another human with a sea-related name. They wondered if the blond female human in pink had such a name, too.

"And you are...?" asked Roxxie.

"Betty Sssandstone, girlfriend and partner of Tuna McGillisss." the blond female human introduced herself with a hiss in her voice.  
"Now step aside, _squid._ We got a competition to survey." Amber smirked, shooing at her. Ooh, she going to wish she hadn't called her that! When she just insulted Roxxie, the little girl did something that took everyone by surprise: Roxxie actually kicked Amber in the shin!

"**OUCH!** Why you little!" Amber exclaimed as she held her shin. The crowd gasped in shock that a girl younger and smaller than Amber stood to and dealt a blow to her! They had _never _seen that before! And there was definitely going to be quite a few surprises in store from the other new girls!

_**"NOBODY CALLS ME SQUID AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!"**_ Roxxie yelled at Amber, huffing in great anger, as expressed by her dark red fingerscales. The onlooking crowd, even the little troublemaker quartet, had to admit: she had a lot of guts standing up to Amber! Kaycee pulled her sister back before she could do any unnecessary damage. Tuna and Betty gaped at the event that just occured. No kid had faced Amber and stood her ground, **_ever_**!

"That was really uncalled for, little sis!" Kaycee hissed at Roxxie. Amber walked over to the duo.

"So that's your sister, huh?" inquired Amber. "I think you need to tighten your leash on her, like the mad dog she's acting like! Maybe just choke her with it! This two-legged mutt could _really _use some discipline!"

**"HEY!"** exclaimed Roxxie. The crowd and the staff gasped at the comment. Kelly may be a mean snob, but even she wasn't _that _cruel! In fact, Kelly was practically harmless and a softy compared to Amber!

"Oh, no, you didn't just say that!" Kaycee said in shock.

"That's really cold-hearted." Reef admitted.

"_'oia 'a'ole 'Olu'olu!_" Kenny said in Hawaiian. (Really not cool!) Then Jess stepped in.

"Hey, this is child abuse I'm hearing, and I'm not going to let that happen! Oh no, not on my watch, you _sand witch!_" Jess said to Amber, who couldn't believe she was talking back to and even insulting her!

**_"YEAH! YOU TELL HER, JESS!"_** Kaycee shouted. The crowd shouted in agreement with the new girls. Amber was getting _REALLY _irked.

**"SHUT UP!"** Amber screamed to the crowd, shutting them up. Then she regained her composure and turned her attention back to the new girls.

"Well, it's not like any of you _hodads _and _barneys'll _even qualify in the preliminaries, let alone the finals, anyway." spat Amber.

"What did you just call us? Just who do think you are, bossing and pushing people around, thinking you're better than everyone else, you vicious _hag_?" Emma sassed back, poking Amber. Emma normally didn't react with anger often, but Amber was _**REALLY **_pushing their scales! Amber, Tuna, and Betty couldn't believe they were being talked back to! Even Kelly was impressed- a little. Johnny, more so.

"Alright, fine, red." Amber responded. "Then let's settle this in the preliminaries, right here, right now!"

"My name is Emma, and I didn't get any surf less-" Emma explained but was cut off by Amber.

"What's the matter, Emma? Can't think of a comeback? What, you can't surf, is that it, _hodad?_" Emma felt really hurt by that insult, doubled with a pushed poke. Fin, fingerscales and face dark red with anger, couldn't stand seeing her best friend bullied by her and had to take action.

'Oh, no, you don't, Amber. Nobody picks on my friends and gets away with it!' Fin thought. Then Fin walked up to Amber and said point-blank to her face:

"I, Fin McCloud, will surf against you, Amber." She announced. The crowd and hotel staff were downright shocked that she was challenging _the insane _Amber Green. Those who did so before her had been defeated and humiliated _very _badly. How badly? You don't want to know!

"This is 'oia 'a'ole lo'ohia." said Kenny in breathless shock. (Really not happening)

"Let me tell you something, Amber Green, I don't like the way you're treating my friends, so you just leave them alone... _you rude kook!_" Fin snarled at her. The human crowd dropped their jaws at what they just heard. Reef was in shock, too, but he smiled instead. Reef was suitably impressed. Amber, Tuna, and Betty, not so much. **Nobody **had ever called Amber a kook, _especially _not to her face! **_Ever!_**

"Wow, Fin's got spunk." Reef whispered to himself in amazement. Amber, upset she was insulted heavily, barked an order:

"Alright, Fin, you and I, surfing, right here, right now!"

"It's so on!" Fin snarled.

"It's one on one! Before we do that, though," Amber took a few steps away from Fin and called out "Tuna, Betty, come to me!" With that, they came to her side. "You check on the competition and gather the intel while I keep the crowd busy! They may be in the contest this weekend! Now go!" Amber whispered. With that, Tuna and Betty nodded slinked away. Amber then faced Fin.

"Bring it on, Amber!" was Fin's response. "I'm ready." Fin announced. "Are you?"

The air was heavy with suspence, as the the two surfers paddled their way out to sea and waited for the waves. The crowd was watching with anticipation from the shore. They even had the surf judges for this weekend's surf contest survey the somewhat premature competion. Even Rosie, Bummer and Mr. and Ms. Ridgemount came over to the scene after hearing about the commotion caused by Amber and the new girls. George and Grommet came over to Roxxie and were impressed by what they heard about her spunk against Amber.

_A little less conversation, a little more action please _  
_All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me_

The land-legged mermaids were particularly on edge. They were unsure of what to expect from this.  
"Is Fin going to make it?" asked Kaycee in a worried tone.  
"Chillax. I'm sure of it. If I know Fin, she'll find her center and be one with the sea." Emma ensured, Fin's iShellphone in hand.  
"I hope you're right, for Fin's sake." Jess replied.

**MEANWHILE**

_A little more bite and a little less bark _  
_A little less fight and a little more spark_

"Get ready to bail, shark girl! I doubt you can even hold on to your board for two seconds!" Amber spat out. That one **REALLY **got under Fin's skin!  
"Not if I have anything to say about it, you _barnacle_!" Fin said back. Amber growled in annoyance. They looked out to the horizon. Fin sensed a wave coming, and a ten-footer at that, and it was coming in _fast!_ She got into position, as did Amber. Fin then looked to her necklace with a grin.

_Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby satisfy me _  
_Satisfy me baby_

Minutes earlier, when Fin's feet touched the water, Fin looked to her necklace to see if it was working, which, luckily, it did. She smiled with satisfaction and relief.

_Baby close your eyes and listen to the music _  
_Drifting through a summer breeze _  
_It's a groovy night and I can show you how to use it _  
_Come along with me and put your mind at ease_

The surfers prepared themselves, and... they're off! In a matter of minutes Amber and Fin surfed their best. Minutes earlier, Fin closed her eyes for quick concentration, thought of her own songs and instictively found her center, crouched down, and surfed so gracefully the crowd was awestruck and bewildered, _**ESPECIALLY **_Reef! They had _never _seen anyone surf so beautifully and skillfully! Even Bummer, Rosie and Mr. and Ms. Ridgemount watched in awe with Fin's progress.

"_Woah!_ Look at her go!" Ty shouted.

"Way to go, Fin! I always knew you could do it!" Emma exclaimed.

"So you can surf a few waves. Big deal." mumbled Amber.

_Come on baby I'm tired of talking _  
_Grab your coat and lets start walking _  
_Come on, come on _  
_Come on, come on _  
_Come on, come on _  
_Dont procrastinate, dont articulate _  
_Girl its getting late, gettin upset waitin' around_

Oh, Reef was _**STOKED **_to see her in action! In fact, he said aloud in awe, "Wow! She's so... _**amazing**_!" Reef felt his heart start to speed up, his palms starting to sweat, and even butterflies in his stomach, but in a good way.

"**YEAH!** Kick Amber's butt! Show her who's boss, Fin!" Reef shouted, surprised at himself. He just noticed he felt different about Fin than he had about the all the girls before her. He couldn't _believe _what he just said. He even blushed at this! Everyone on shore was surprised by this, his friends especially. He had never cheered a girl on before! Usually he blabbed that guys were better at surfing than girls, but this was a shocking exception.

'I've never felt this way before. Am I feeling a connection to her? Could Fin actually be... _the one?_' he thought. We'll just have to see about that!

_A little less conversation, a little more action please _  
_All this aggravation ain't satisfactioning me_

Amber was frustrated that Fin was defeating her so skillfully, so she went to drop in on her! Had she no honor? Fortunately, Fin anticipated her charge and pulled... a _nosedive _followed by a _360 horizontal spin_? **Wow**, that was _intense!_ Amber _narrowly _missed Fin's surfboard and a surprised Amber pearled, in front of the crowd! She surfaced soon after and spat out some water, narrowed her eyes, and growled at Fin in frustration. The crowd was stunned by what they just witnessed.

"**Badical!** Did you see that?" Wipeout asked in a surprised tone.  
"We're seeing, but not believing!" A fat boy called Snack Shack, who was serving the customers snacks called beaver tails, answered, eyes wide with shock.  
"_'a'ole 'ano!_" Kenny exclaimed, jaw dropped. No way!  
"Yeah, what she said." Ripper put in.  
"I've **never **seen anyone outsurf Amber before! She's so... _wonderful_!" Reef blurted out, blushing again, this time a deeper red. His heart started to beat a bit faster.

_A little more bite and a little less bark _  
_A little less fight and a little more spark _  
_Close your mouth and open up your heart and baby satisfy me _  
_Satisfy me baby_

The wave was starting to close in, but Fin instinctively rode the wave out, taking a leap and flipping her surfboard before perfectly landing on it and made it safely, feeling great joy as indicated by her fingerscales in orange! Amber, however, ended up going spin cycle. She was _so _gonna get dizzy after that!

Fin, meanwhile, rode the current and then paddled back to the beach, where her audience awaited her, her friends especially. Amber managed to make it out, grabbed her board, and paddled back as fast as she could in her now-disorientated state. The crowd gathered at the shore to congradulate Fin. The tough mermaid-turned-human walked back onto shore with pride.

"Fin, that was _gnarly!" _Broseph and Lo said at once.

"Not bad for my first time." Fin said. The humans were surprised to hear that, but still cheered for her, along with Emma, Jess, Kaycee, and Roxxie.

"Wow, that was your first time surfing? Oh, snap, that was _gnarly_, and this is just the preliminaries! You were _**incredible **_out there!" Reef blabbed out and blushed as red as a tomato. "Thanks, kook." Fin took Reef's comment as a compliment while she flipped her hair unconciously and blushed the same shade of red as Reef. Everybody, including the human staff and the other mermaids, noticed this and started whispering, pointing, and placing bets about those two in a long-term relationship. Reef had flirted with various girls before Fin, but **_never _**actually blushed with one before.

"Even I have to admit, that was really, _really _cool." Rosie admitted. The Ridgemounts and even Bummer nodded in agreement.  
"I, for one, never thought I'd live to see the day when Amber gets her butt kicked, especially not by the new surfer." Mr. Ridegmount said proudly. "I'm greatly impressed." His wife nodded in agreement. Fin laughed and glared at Amber, who managed to catch up, though still dizzy from the spin cycle she went through.

"So, still think my friends and I are wannabe surfers?" asked Fin. Amber scoffed.

"Hrumph, beginners luck. I still doubt you or your pack could last at least five minutes in the big leagues the day after tomorrow." Amber managed to say.

"Y'know what? I think that's a great idea! Fin and her pals could totally sign up for the surf contest this weekend!" excliamed Reef.

"Yeah, maybe even Reef a run for his money." George said. The crowd oohed. Reef shrugged it off.

"Think we're in?" Fin said excitedly, fingerscales now in bright yellow.

"**Totally**, Fin! In fact, I'll sign up too! How 'bout you, Broseph? Maybe you and Lo can join in as well." said Reef. Amber groaned.

"Sweet!" Broseph replied.  
"We're down with that." Lo added. Then she recalled her cutoff from her priveleges and turned to saw her father, who, to her relief, approved of her being in the contest, despite cutting her off from her penthouse priveleges. Lo suddenly a bit better, even though she will still have to work at the DR tomorrow. Her father must have figured if his daughter could make it in the contest and win, or at least try her best, he would be pleased that she at least tried, Lo thought.  
"So will Lance, Kenny and I!" Ripper added, holding Kenny's hand and with Lance beside them.  
"Me, too!" Ty added.

"Jess, Kaycee, and I could still use some lessons before the contest, though. Maybe you can coach us, Reef? Maybe Broseph?" Emma suggested.

"We'd be glad to!" Reef answered. The girls were stoked that they were going to be coached. Emma, Kaycee, Jess, could **really **use a teacher or two before they enter the contest. Fortuanately, they had plenty of time for that. Roxxie was too young for the contest, however, but didn't care because she and her mer-pals, especially Fin, had told Amber off!

"Thanks! We really appreciate it!" Emma said, her gaze fixed on Ty, who had his fixed on Jess in a daze. Johnny noticed this and wasn't happy with it. Looks like Johnny was going to have his hands full trying to win Emma's affections, and good luck! He was **_SO _**gonna need it!

Amber then saw Tuna and Betty walk over to her. They saw the whole thing and weren't pleased. However, they managed to gather intel on the upcoming competition during the whole thing.

"We gathered the intel you inssstructed." Betty whispered to Amber.  
"The crowd wasss too busy watching you and Fin in the sssurf-off to notice usss." Tuna added. Amber, though still steamed about her defeat, grinned at hearing that.  
"Good work. Now let's leave and deliver the news to the boss." the crazy female commanded.  
"Even though you lossst to the new sssurfer?" Betty asked, pointing out that major detail. Amber narrowed her eyes on her.  
"Let me worry about that." the mentally unstable redhead hissed at Betty. Then a dark-skinned, black-haired surf judge, Mal Jordon, came over to them to review her perfomance. The trio noticed her.

"Amber Green, you just got one penalty for trying to drop in on a fellow surfer and another for bailing. One more illegal stunt like that and you're _out _of the contest! Have I made myself _clear?_" She hissed at her with a serious look on her face.  
"Transparently." Amber hissed at her. "Tuna McGillis, Betty Sandstone, come. We got what we came for..." she said in a mysterious tone, leaving the audience wondering what she was talking about. "Still, there's something very fishy about those new girls..." Amber mumbled. And with that, the threesome left the premesis, now suddenly causing the crowd to cheer for the new girls that stood up to her!

* * *

The man in the shadows saw the events that transpired on the crystal ball. While he wasn't too happy about Amber's epic fail against Fin, he noticed Tuna and Betty gathered the information of the contest's competitors coming this weekend.

"Amber, you may have failed to beat that new girl out, but at least you kept those stupid humans preoccupied long enough for Tuna and Betty to collect the intel we needed." he mumbled in a dark tone. "I think we can work something like this to our plan's advantage, Amber..." He grinned and chuckled maniacally...

* * *

**Didn't expect this surf-off now, did ya? Amber sure had that comin'! The back-talk, too.**

**The reason I put Mal Jordon from the "Mr Wahine" episode in this story is only because, well, what's a contest without a judge? She'll be in the next chapter, but no further beyond that. After that, she won't be in it for the remainder of the story.**

**The hisses in Tuna & Betty's speech is my personal touch. Thought I'd give 'em an air of suspicion & mystery in this story. Why? Well, I've a big twist in store from these 2 later on in this story.**

**In case y'all wonderin', I decided to use the song "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley for the surf rivalry scene, 'cause I thought it would fit the sitch well, even though the scene didn't match ALL the words in the song.**

**What's the meanin' of those Cthulhu faces on Amber's belly & board? And the snake tattoos on Betty's arm & Tuna's chest (same answer as that for the man in the shadows's identity- no spoilers, so don't ask)? What could all this mean?**

**Rear and review!**


	8. SemiSparks Flyin'

Start: 11-4-10  
Finish: 11-13-10

**WhazzupPeeps: When it comes to the interaction between Roxxie and Amber, ya got that right on not havin' heard of or met her before. Plus, the creepiness's why Reef keeps rejectin' her. Of course, Amber's a really persistent gal (if one could call her that). I see you approved of the "A Little Less Conversation" song I put in the chapter. As for Fin's handling of Amber's threat & her buddin' relationship with Reef, as ya put it, I guess we'll have to find out.**

**The Cullens of Death Metal: Glad ya like it! And don't worry; you'll find out about the Man in the shadows, Amber, Tuna, and Betty's connections to Cthulhu's Grotto soon enough. I've got some surprises in store from these 4 later on in the story. What answers you'll get to this may surprise ya.**

**Woahnessness: I happily approve of all the above ya posted.**

**CHAPTER 8: Semi-Sparks Flyin'**

* * *

Kenny turned her attention to the new girls, brow raised in suspicion, while they were signing up for the contest in Mal Jordon's presence, Fin and Emma up first, and then turned back to Ripper.  
"I don't know why, but there's something _very_ **fishy** about those girls, and Broseph, too." she whispered. "They're giving me strong suspicious vibes." Fishy? Kenny had no idea how she right she was about that!  
"Yeah, I've been getting that, too. At least they did us a lot of good by telling that wacko off." Ripper said to her. "And they seem friendly enough to us."  
"I've been getting that curious feeling about Kaycee in particular. Like she and her friends are hiding something." Lance blabbed. Ripper and Kendra's faces lit up and turned to him with a surprising thought.  
"You have a crush on Kaycee, don't you?" Ripper asked.  
"_What?_" asked Lance, eyes wide with shock.  
"You _do_! Why else do you keep staring at her in awe? I think she just might be the one for you!" Kenny stated. Lance admitted he had been feeling good toward Kaycee ever since he first saw her.

"Yeah, I suppose you've got a point." Lance admitted. "But does she feel the same way about me?"  
"What are you asking us for, mate?" Ripper asked in calm, happy manner. "Why don't you go ask **her**?"  
"Okay, I'll try. Here goes nothin', dude." Lance said. And off he goes to Kaycee. Ripper and Kenny watched with enthusiasm as he tried to ask Kaycee about how she feels about him and vice versa.

"Hey, Kaycee!" Lance called out. Kaycee craned her head to him right after she signed up for this weekend's surf contest.  
"So, Kayce -if you don't mind me calling you that- I was wondering if I could, um, do the coaching for you. With the surfing, I mean.. Would you like that?" asked Lance, blushing a light shade of red. Kaycee just giggled lightly.

"Sure, Lance. I'd like that." Kaycee replied. Lance smiled at this. Then she asked, "Can you coach Roxxie, too?" Lance frowned on the inside, his hopes of getting quality time alone with Kaycee dashed, but kept his grin on the outside. He hoped he could get the chance to confess his feelings for her... soon.  
"Yeah, sure thing, right away, but at the Office. Don't need any pressure from the crowds." Lance said. Kaycee was pleased to hear that.  
"Okay, then. I'll go get my sister." Kaycee said. With that, she walked away. He slightly sulked his shoulders. Oh well, at least they were off to a good start.

Johnny walked over to Emma and attempted to speak to her, but she saw Ty approach and waved to him (causing Johnny to sag his shoulders in depression), and thought he was coming to her... until he walked past her and towards Jess, who didn't notice him until he spoke to her... or at least tried to. Emma just stared with an incredulous look.

"So, Jess..." he uttered. Jess turned to him. "I-I saw what happened. Um, you've got a lot of guts t-talking back to Amber. Nobody but us groms & seniors had ever done that the way you and your friends did. I-I-I li-like that in a g-girl." Ty blushed lightly. Jess just blinked at him, but smiled.  
"Well, someone had to face her, or some poor, unfortunate soul will suffer. Plus, she was such a bully." Jess stated.  
"A sense of justice and responsibility. Nice. I admire those those traits." Ty blabbed, then blushed deeper. Jess just stared, currently unaware of his attempt to win her affections.

'I admire those traits? That was just so _stupid_! Now Jess thinks you're a _kook_!' Ty thought. Jess started to move away. Before Jess could walk away, he came up with an idea.  
"Say, Jess, what do you say I teach you surfing so you can surf in the contest?" Ty quickly asked. Jess's face lit up.  
"That would be great! When can we start?" asked Jess.  
"Uh, at the Office, right now, while we still can. No tourists around." Ty said.  
"I can't stand tourists, anyway." Jess stated.

"Yeah... me neither." Ty added, blushing in the process. Broseph and Lo walked over to Emma and offered to coach her in surfing, which Emma promptly accepted. Reef sort of offered to do the same for Fin, albeit off to a rocky start, but at least they were getting aqquainted... kind of. Before the staff could walk away to the Office, Bummer came up to them with a grin on his face.

"Fin, Rosie, the Ridgemounts and I saw your performance on the waves today, and I must say, we were really impressed that you beat Amber Green at her own game. Nobody's ever done that before. Plus, she was _really_ giving the guests & staff alike the creeps." he told her.  
"Well, somebody had to put Amber in her place. Plus, she was picking on my friends." Fin informed him.  
"Understandable. Oh, and you can forget about that first-day tradition of mine." The mermaids gave him a glance of surprise.

"Normally I go through with it, but because you five newcomers have stood up to and even told Amber Green off, I shall reward you with an hour off duty, even the employee with lowest evaluation, which, by the way, was _Emma_." The redhead sagg her shoulders at the sound of the those words. "So none of you are getting fired. You're all staying. That is all." The mermaids and human staff were thrilled to hear that, especially Johnny, who still had hopes of winning Emma's affections. "Oh, and welcome to Surfer's Paradice." Bummer finished, then walked away.

"Yay, yay, _**yay!**_ We didn't get fired!" Emma exclaimed happily, doing her little happy dance.  
"That was heavy. Too close for comfort, too." said Broseph.

"Alright then, now let's get _coaching!_ We got a surf contest to get you girls ready for!" Reef shouted excitedly. The other human staff members and the mermaids shouted in agreement. And off the The Office they went, the crowds watching them go, knowing that this summer was going to be very... _interesting_, but unaware of _how_ interesting it was going to be.

They were at the Office, the most perfect beach with the most epic waves in the country. And the best part: no tourists!

Reef and Fin are still arguing like a married couple, which got their friends teasing them about it. At least they were trying to get along- **barely**. Broseph and Lo showed Emma how to paddle herself on her board, pop up, and balance herself with the hula hands. Ty did the same for Jess, and Lance with Kaycee and Roxxie. Johnny, Ripper, and Kenny, and Kelly, on the other hand, watched from a distance. Kelly was suitably impressed that Emma and Jess actually sassed Amber, but was still feeling snobby towards them, though now to a somewhat lesser extent. Kelly felt that there was something odd about these five new girls, like how they came here, where they came from, how Fin was able to surf like she did on her first time, etc. Something was up with these girls, but she didn't dwell on it for too long.

Johnny sulked in depression. He may have noticed and spoke to Emma the moment they met, but Emma was focused on Ty instead, yet Ty had his sights set on Jess, who was still unaware of his affections for her. Looks like they were in a love square. Uh-oh. What _were_ they getting themselves into? Ripper, Kenny, and Kelly noticed this, but were unsure of what to do about it. Then Kelly came up with a thought that hadn't dawned on them earlier, though they were a little late with it.

"Hey, don't we normally put the newcomers through the tests of Grom Initiation first?" Kelly asked. Usually when any groms that came here wanted to see The Office, the seniors -Johnny, Kelly, Ripper, and Lance- put them through some tests until noon. Reef, Broseph, Kendra already passed such rough tests, so they were already in.

"Oh, man, we totally forgot about that! Ah well, the way I see it, any grom that tells Amber off is totally worthy of the Office. And they did vow to keep this place a secret." Johnny stated. As much as Kelly wanted to disagree, he did have a point there.  
"What, and Lo's off the hook on that, too?" asked Kelly.  
"Her father did kick her out of the penthouse for failing to keep the party from getting out of control, so I think that's punishment enough for her." Johnny further pointed out.

"That's true." Kelly replied in agreement, as much as she hated to admit it. On the other hand, Kelly found this detail to be pleasing to her. After all, Kelly was a snob. What do you expect?

"Still, there's something about those new girls I can't put my finger on. They seemed to know their way around The Office without us telling them, and it's their first time here. Something's up." Kelly added.  
"I've been getting those vibes from being near them, too. It's like they're hiding something fishy from us..." Kenny tacked on.  
"So, I see you have a crush on Emma." Kenny said to Johnny, taking him by surprise, but made no attempt to deny it.  
"Yeah, but she's focued on Ty, and hardly notices me." Johnny told her. Johnny sighed sadly.  
"And Ty is focued on Jess." Ripper told him.  
_**"What?"**_ Johnny yelled in surprise.

"Looks like you four are in a love square." Kenny put in. They were dead right about that!  
"**Seriously?** And since when does Ty pay good attention to a girl?" Johnny asked incredulously.  
"I know, He's _never_ taken this much interest in a girl before." Kenny replied.  
"Those girls are sure full of surpirses." Johnny said as he watched the Ty and the other groms practice their surfing on the water, baby step by baby step, Emma in particular.  
"No doubt about it." Kelly agreed. And little do they know, there was going to be quite a few more fishy surprises in store for them this summer!

**THE FOLLOWING DAY**

The seniors and groms of Surfer's Paradice were stoked that the Surf Contest was tomorrow! The fact that Bummer gave the new girls an hour off duty really helped with their surf sessions early in the morning.

Fin and Reef had their splashdown as promised. They instantly picked surfing as their method. They gave it their all to try and outsurf each other. Given Fin's experience beating Amber, she metaphorically kicked Reef's butt in matter of minutes. Reef grudgingly accepted the loss and the bet- in this case, loser waxes the surfboards belonging to the opposite gender. Since Reef lost, this meant he had to wax the girls' boards. He was annoyed that he lost to a girl, yet at the same time was impressed with her spunk, though he denied the latter. Their friends watched from the shore, with Jess sponsoring the splashdown, since King and Queen Requin weren't around this time. The humans were still confused about the splashdown thing, though.

Then they surfed for fun afterwards -and in the case of the other four new girls, tried out the lessons they took and passed excellently- yet for some curious reason the sea gulls fired their _droppings_ on Reef and the crabs _pinched_ Reef's toes on the shore, which Fin somehow found amusing. Little did the humans know, Fin talked those birds into divebombing Reef and the crabs into pinching him as payback for his sexist insults yesterday. The other humans laughed because they couldn't resist.

Plus, the burdens on Emma, Jess, Kaycee, Roxxie and especially Fin were eased up a little by the guests and even the staff because Fin put Amber Green in her place. That nutcase was **REALLY** giving the guests and staff the heebie-jeebies with her presence alone! As a result, everyone respected them, especially Fin. In fact, guests of all ages and all the hotel staff, especially the girls, _idolized_ her, even treated her like a **princess**- mostly because Fin **was** a princess, but she never told anyone that. And never let it go to her head, for that matter, thank goodness.

At the Pirate's Ship, Emma and now a reluctant Lo -now in the same uniform as hers- serving the customers- in their case, the Marvins and the Joneses, respectively, but luckily, they kids and their parents went easy on them, even though Lo wasn't one these new girls. It may not exactly show, but they were grateful for their brave actions yesterday. Lo was rather understandably unhappy working here, but luckily she had Emma and Jess helping her through due to their recent experiences, even though Kelly was being snobby -or crabby, as Jess called her- to them, though to a minor extent now.

Jess, meanwhile, came to one specific table, one occupied by the Ridgemount fam -Ty included- She asked them "May I take your order?" The sound of her voice grabbed Ty's attention. The parents and George nodded yes to her.  
"How about you, young man? George, right?" asked Jess. Ty just zoned out at the sight of Jess while she was writing down their meal orders... until she turned her attention to him. His mother called out his name while Lo -who suddenly turned up- snapped her fingers in his face, which snapped him out of it. He shook his head and blinked.

"Who? What? Where?" Ty asked then saw Jess's confused face. "Oh, sorry 'bout that. W-what were you s-s-saying, J-Jess?"  
"I was asking what you would like to order. So what is it?" asked Jess, politely and patiently.  
"Uh, bacon and-and-and eggs with a side o-of clam ch-chowder. That-that's pretty much it." Ty said quickly, blushing as he did.  
"Coming right up." Jess answered with a smile on her face, then left for the kitchen. Then Ty sagged his shoulders and head in disappointment, then looked up to see that... his brother, sister, and parents were quite shocked at his reaction. He had _**never**_ stuttered while talking to a girl before. In fact, since when did Ty pay close attention to _any_ girl?

"Ty, since when do you act this way towards girls?" Mr. Ridgemount asked.  
"Come to think of it, since when did you interact much with girls?" asked Ms. Ridgemount.  
"Or blush? Or stutter?" George tacked on.  
"Not to mention the fact that you did give Jess surf lessons." Lo pointed out. "To be honest, I'm really baffled with that myself. Ty, you've been acting different ever since we met Jess and her pals back at the staff house." Lo added.

"Yeah, why is that?" George asked in wonder.  
"I've been asking myself the same thing. I've never acted and felt this way before. What makes her so special, anyway?" Ty replied. Then Nancy Ridgemount's face lit up and raised brow in thought and grinned. Ty noticed and wondered what she was thinking.

"Oh, I think I see what's going on here." she said. Lo was starting to catch on with her mother.

"What's that?" Ty asked, giving them a confused glance.  
"You've fallen in love with her, haven't you?" Ms. Ridgemount asked teasingly. Ty opened his eyes in shock. "We've heard the gossip around."  
"Y'know, Ty, I think mom's right. I mean, why else do you just stare at her?" Lo pointed out. Ty had to admit, Lo and their mom did make a good point.

Then Emma showed up, no doubt thinking Ty was talking about her. Girl, was she _**clueless**_!  
"Were you talking about me, Ty?" Emma asked in a bubbly tone. The Ridgemount family looked with a puzzled glance.  
"Uh, no. Sorry, Ella." Ty replied. Emma widened her eyes at him and drooped her shoulders a bit, sad that he got her name wrong, but more so at his comment.  
"Oh, um, ok, I got customers' orders to take, anyway. And it's Emma." was all Emma could think of saying and she resumed work.

"She's just not aware of this, is she?" Nancy Ridgemount said.  
"Aparrently not." Lo replied.  
"_LO!_" a voice called out behind Lo, startling her. She turned to see... Kelly being a bit snappish to her.  
"What are you standing around for, _wench_?" she hissed at Lo, who suddenly turned to her father.  
"Your supersivor's right. Why aren't you working?" Archimedes Ridgemount asked her, eye twiching. Lo gulped at the sight of that, as the eye twich meant he was angry and _**REALLY**_ meant business. She immediately got the message.  
"Sorry about that. Got sidetracked. Will try to stay focused on my job. Oh, I think I hear the Joneses calling me. Gotta go!" Lo answered quickly and went right back to work.

Meanwhile, Johnny was watching Emma from his front desk and was sad that Emma had set her sights on Ty and was oblivious to Johnny's affections for her. Seriously, it hurt to watch.

Kenny saw this from the gift shop and was just not liking this side of him. Like the other humans Johnny befriended and grew up with, Kenny couldn't bare to see him that way. She asked her pal Tara to cover her shift while she consoles Johnny, to which she agreed, though reluctantly. With that, she went out the gift shop and to the front desk to give Johnny her sympathies, ensure him that he'll win Emma's heart in time... and also remind him that a few guests showed up. And with that, they went back to their jobs before Bummer could nag on them.

**THE NEXT DAY**

It finally came! The Surfer's Paradice surf contest was here at last! The preliminaries already ended yesterday, it was now on to the main event. They may have had to work their rumps off first after their morning seshes for the past two days, but at least they managed to get enough practice to help them pass the premliminaries and qualify for the finals. The crowds filled up the stands on the shore, hustling and bustling with excitement.

The surfers of Surfer's Paradice were all psyched up and were down at the beach, their group now twelve strong. A new surfer had joined in and qualified as well, which, interestingly, caught **Kelly's** attention, if only for a few seconds. The surfer Kelly noticed had shaggy, jet black hair of moderate length, handsome eyes as blue as the ocean, about six-foot-two in height, had a lean, muscular build and a fair complexion, and hanging from his neck was a silver coelacanth pendant with a pearl 'eye'. He wore black boardshorts with neon blue and green patterns, and his surfboard had a matching pattern. Could this be love at first sight for Kelly? Before she could focus on this a bit further, she shook her head and moved on to the jet-skis, though she did look back once to see that specific guy.

George, Grommet, and Roxxie didn't sign up because there was no junior stage, but didn't mind. Johnny had tried to confess his feelings for Emma, but she misread his words and still hoped to get Ty's attenion, which drained all enthusiasm out of Johnny. The same thing happened to Ty when he tried to win Jess's heart, because she was just plain unaware of his feelings for her. Apparently those two boys had got their work cut out for them! A cookiecutter shark, blue crab, mantis shrimp, or sea gull had a better chance of getting noticed by Emma or Jess than Johnny or Ty did, the girls were so oblivious! Yup, those two boys **REALLY** had their work cut out!

Mal Jordan, the head surf judge, was at the judging table, along with Kahuna, who volunteered to make judgements on the surfers. Bummer and Kelly, since she doesn't surf at all, reluctantly volunteered to be the referees in case fights and inappropriate or illegal moves broke out on the waves, jet-skis at the ready. She had gained more confidence in facing Amber and her crew ever since Fin outsurfed her.

As for their competition... in came Tuna McGillis and Betty Sandstone, hand in hand. With them also came some buff, tough, overconfident, snobby guys and gals, five of each, all with dark blue surfboards with various fiendish-looking, Cthulhu-fied sea creatures with malice-filled red eyes (shark, crab, anglerfish, gulper eel, etc). And to the mermaids' surpise, these extra 'people' had a Cthulhu head tattoo on the males' chests, backs, or upper arms and on the females' upper arms or stomachs, though in green & slightly less detailed then Amber's. **Oh, no.** This **couldn't** be good. This was the nasty, vicious Cthulhu Gang, and Amber was their _leader_. Amber especially looked like she was up to something _bad_... and _evil_, judging by her grin. The opposing surfers could feel it.

Fin and Amber shot glares at each other intently. Amber was _really_ raring for round two against Fin since her defeat two days earlier. Reef and Tuna, meanwhile, glared at each other, Tuna grinning with malice in his eyes. They had been surf rivals since childhood.

The crowd felt creeped out, but now slightly less so nowadays than they were before, thanks to Fin and her friends. The signed-up surfers stood their ground. They were the only ones who faced Amber's group head on without flinching. They exchanged glances that said 'you're going down'. Amber and her teammates grinned as though they had an ace up their sleeves (metaphorically speaking). Which was the case with them...

They didn't know what Amber and her gang were up to, but whatever it is, it just _couldn't_ be good...

* * *

**Now, this is gonna be... interesting. What are Amber, Tuna, Betty, and their crew gonna do in the contest? What could they be planning? Whatever nasty surprises could they have brought in store for 'em? And who was that guy that got Kelly's attention (hint, hint ;)?**

**And poor Ty. Poor Johnny, too. Clearly, they're gonna have to try really hard to win their respective desired ladies' hearts!**

**Sorry for the lack of Grom Initiation, but the way Fin & her mer-friends told Amber Green off gave 'em the honor of bein' intro'd to The Office, despite having come from its waters. So, no Grom Initiation here. Again, sorry.**

**Read & Review, y'all! And no flames!**


	9. Surf's Up!

Start: 11-13-10 Finish: 11-22-10

**The Cullens of Death Metal: For what Amber and the Cthulhu Gang are schemin', you'll find out soon enough. Yeah, poor Ty & Jess. I wish 'em luck. They gon' need it. As for the David sitch, this tells me you've read 'Luck Has A Way' and 'Starstuck & Wavestruck' by WhazzupPeeps. As for what she'll do get his affections, you'll find out in this chapter! And no worries, you'll find out 'bout the Brown brothers, the man in the shadows, and Cthulhu in the next few chapters. Thanks.**

**Constance Faye Dyer: Well, rest assured, you'll find out about where this love square goes soon enough in a later chapter or 2. No, Kelly ain't gon' find out 'bout the mermaids' secret. Not yet, anyway. As for Amber, whether she's a sea witch like Ursula or just the mystery man's 'knight', I'm not tellin'. You'll hafta wait 'til the next chapter or 2 or so. But I'll tell this much 'bout Tuna & Betty: They ain't eels, but... somethin' else. 'Nuff said. Also, I got a romance scene, or at least the closest thing to it involin' Kelly & David, if that counts.**

**And sorry for how the surf contest works out in this chapter. I'm uncertain how it works, actually. So I took a guess.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Stoked, which belongs to Teletoon, or David, WhazzupPeeps's OC. Comprende'?**

**CHAPTER 9: Surf's up!**

Amber had brought the Cthulhu Gang with her to the contest. This was gonna be _really _tough, even for the new surfers. Adding to the tension and suspense were the big, bad, suspicious vibes coming off them, like they were planning something big that would ensure their victory once again. They had been the champions for years now, despite a few losses in a few, surfing their way through the competition, doing anything they could to achieve victory, be it intimidation or cheating (which they sometimes did with discretion). Or distractions, for that matter, usually by unidentied shapes in the water as said and mentioned by the defeated opposing surfers before the five mermaids came along.

Mr. Ridgemount noticed one major detail: Where were the mascot, and most importantly, their boss?

"Where's your boss and the mascot, Amber?" he asked. "Afraid to show their ugly faces today?" Amber merely sneered at him.

"Taunt all you like, Ridgemount. They've got.. bigger matters to attend to..." Amber answered in a mysterious tone.

"Oh yeah? And what would he be planning now, huh?" Bummer asked hissingly.

"That's for us to know, and for you to find out firsthand." Amber retorted. "That is, if you survive." The Surfer's Paradice crew exchanged curious, concerned glances.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lance and Kaycee asked in an apprehensive tone.

"Oh, you'll see, you little whelps." Tuna & Betty spat out.

That insult _**really **_got under their skins. They got really revved up for facing off against the Cthulhu Gang again. Despite Amber's loss against Fin two days earlier, they still followed her lead.

"Alright, dudes and dudettes, welcome to the Surfer's Paradice Surf Competition!" Kahuna announced over the loudspeaker.  
"All surfers, takes your positions!" Mal called out on the loudspeaker.

The two surf crews did as they were told, not taking their eyes off each other.

The teams were now in position. The Cthulhu Gang huddled to discuss whatever dastardly plans Amber had for them. The Surfer's Paradise crew watched with cautious, tension-filled eyes.

"Did you girls feed my pets?" asked Amber. The surfer girls nodded 'yes'.  
"Good. And remember, make sure those two don't break the surface of the water, just let 'em come close enough to cast a shape to distract them and throw them off guard. Once they see that, I silently tell them to discretely tip their boards and then stay out of sight when they take a dive, one surfer after another. Take out the snooping refferees if they have to. Got it?" Amber commanded.

They nodded in agreement. Then they broke their huddle and faced their opponents.

"Are you ready to get your butts kicked?" Amber asked with a cackle.

"Ready when you are." Reef and Fin said in unison, after which Fin blurted "Jinx! You're buying me lunch, kook!" Reef sighed in exasperation, yet at the same he admired Fin's spunk.

Bummer and Kelly standing by next to their jet-skis. Kelly was a little bit more hesitant because of the fact that she was near the currents of the sea. When she little, she was once swept away in a fast current in a river she couldn't swim out of and had to be pulled out with an oar handed to her by her mother on a small boat. Kelly could swim just fine in still or slow-moving water like pools or river, but when running water, especially faster-moving waters like rapids, got up to her head, she would start panicking. Kelly had feared running water since. Kelly only went across running water when she had to, and definitely not by swimming in it, hence her reliance of jet-skis, speedboats, and whatnot. Then she turned to see the muscular brunette again, and the mere sight of him gave her a little hope, and she had a courage she never quite knew... yet.

Then Kelly and Bummer hopped onto their jet-skis and followed the surfers while keeping their distance, ready to bust anyone they catch breaking rules... or cheating. The two opposing surfer teams took to the water, the air tense with suspense. They went out on the water and stopped on their boards, waiting to be called on to surf.

"We now start off with main event, until one is left standing, then we judge them for who gets a palce in the top three." Mal called out over the loudspeaker.

"And first up is..." Kahuna called out. The surfers tensed up in anticipation. "Johnny Princeton!" Johnny smiled that he was called on first. He paddled forward and then stopped to wait for a wave to show up, which it did. Just as he popped up, however, he had a glimpse of something moving swiftly through the water, which distracted him from the upcoming wave.

"What was that?" Johnny asked himself. After the wave caught up to Johnny, taking him by surprise, he struggled to keep his balance, which he managed for a few minutes, longer than his shocked friends anticipated, since he thought heavily of Emma, but suddenly pearled.

His buddies were surprised by this too, even though he wasn't exactly a pro at it.

"Good try, Johnny, but not good enough. Better luck next time." Mal said on the loudspeaker.

Johnny paddled away in disappointment. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned his head to see it was... Emma, looking at him with concern.

"I know you tried, Johnny. I can't help but feel there's something _suspicious _about that bail. Like it was planned or something. And my friends and I have a feeling those tough surfers have something to do with it." Emma stated.

"You really think so?" Johnny asked. Emma nodded. They glanced at the Cthulhu Gang suspiciously before he moved on back to shore.

"Up next, Tuna McGillis!" Mal Jordon said. With that, he surfed his best and qualified for the next round, much to his opposition's dismay.

This was getting tense on both sides. One by one, surfers from both teams were called upon, some who qualified, others who didn't -these of Surfer's Paradise, mostly. As for some of the members of the Cthulhu Gang, some actually dropped in on their fellow surfers or used illegal surf moves, which got Bummer and Kelly jetting over to them and sending them off, disqualified as a result. For some reason, the surfers from Surfer's Paradise who were distracted soon before they pearled by strange shapes in the water in front of them. And the way the 'pearled' looked as though something underwater knocked them off their boards. It was like they planned and rigged something there. The mermaids, Broseph and even the man in black started to sense this deeply. They weren't ameteurs, especially not Ty, Kenny, Emma and Lo. Even Bummer and Kelly started to get suspicious...

The surfers of the Cthulhu Gang still in were Tuna, and of course, Amber. The remaining surfers of Surfer's Paradice were Reef, Fin, and-

"David Hughs, you're up!" said Mal. "Show us what you got, dude!" David, the black-haired male paddled to the waves, popped up onto his board, and surfed as best he could, the sight of which dazzled Kelly with awe. Emma, Lo, and Jess noticed this and were surprised. Since when did Kelly act this way?

Suddenly, David spotted the wierd shape and unlike the others before him -except the decently exprienced mermaids- he sensed the disturbance underneath him and spinned to the left and surfed on... until his board hit Tuna's -or rather vice versa-, which sent him flying. That spurred Kelly into jetting towards him, much to the surfers' surprise. She told Tuna that for dropping in on David, he was disqualified. Tuna grudgingly accepted defeat and paddled back to shore.

Then Kelly reached David and asked him if was okay, to which he responded positively. Kelly was relieved he wasn't injured and helped pull him back onto his surfboard. With that, he paddled calmly back to shore. Kelly sighed contently in a brief, lovesick daze before snapping out of it.

Then Fin came next. She surfed her best, this time with a move she made during her time off duty. A surf move she dubbed 'Le Freak'. This move she did consisted of a backbend, and then a handstand on her surfboard, all while on the waves. The sight of Fin doing pulling off this move dazzled the other surfers and the crowd, and impressed Reef, whose heart picked up speed out of affection, again. Amber, on the other hand, was irked that she had been bested again.

"Wow... that was gnarly & epic!" Reef exclaimed.  
"And up next is..." Kahuna announced. "the one, the only, Reef Volotres!"

The crowd cheered for him, much to his glee. What really surprised him, however, was Fin telling him "Go for it. Show Amber who's boss." That _really _spurred him on. Fin and Reef may fight like a married couple (which still got **_everyone _**teasing them about it), but they both couldn't stand Amber and would love to put Amber in her place, so that was a start.

With that, Reef surfed at his best, even bested Amber, which impressed even Fin, though she **_still _**denied it. Suddenly, he saw that same strange shape... just as his board hit it, whatever it was! Fin noticed this and was really surprised by this. So were Bummer and Kelly.

"**Woah!** What was that?" Reef ased out loud in shock. "I think I hit something! Something alive!"  
"Really?" asked Bummer, believing Reef's words this time. "What was it?"  
"No idea, but whatever it was I saw, it's **_big!_**" With that, Reef paddled back to Fin.  
"Could be a whale." Kelly guessed. Reef and Fin gave her a 'you're kidding, right?' glance.  
"In this area? Doubt it." Fin told her.

"Alright, we're down to three surfers, so it's now a free-for-all!" Mal announced.  
"So surf to your heart's content." Kahuna added.

And with that, Reef, Fin, and Amber surfed their best out there. Amber didn't play fair for long, however, as she charged... straight towards Fin, to drop in on her again! Amber was _**REALLY **_aching to settle a score with Fin! As she did, Kelly jetted toward her to stop her from going through with her dishonorable act, but all of a sudden, whatever was in the water bumped against her jet-ski, sending Kelly flying, and once she landed in the water, she started to paddle back to her jet-ski, but the current was dragging her away, after which Kelly started to panic.

The crowd and surfers were shocked to witness this and started to worry. David, who hadn't reached shore yet, saw the whole thing, and went back to help her out. Suddenly, something pulled Kelly under and she started to panic more, shouting that something was trying to pull her under and that there was something big in the water. David paddled faster with urgency.

By the time Bummer reached Kelly, she was already dragged down. Fin was distracted by the unfolding incident long enough for Amber to reach, but before her surfboard could make contact with hers, Reef got in the way 'accidentally on purpose', causing Amber to pearl again. The impact also caused her board to smack Reef's head, knocking him unconcious. Then Reef floated facedown for a few moments, but then started to sink to the depths. Fin and David, horrified by what just transpired, took a deep breath and dove off their surfboards and into the sea.

Reef was out cold and sinking, while Kelly was dragged by and glimpsed what looked like a smooth, scaleless and slimy green tail with a sickly yellow fin, and to make matters worse, they were both running out of air and losing conciousness! Fin swam down after Reef, whereas David went after Kelly.

Positive she was out of human sight, she took off her necklace, in a flash, changing back into a mermaid ten seconds later, diving down with urgency as she did so. There was another flash not far to her right, but she was unaware of that as she went straight after Reef.

Fin soon reached and grabbed Reef and carried him up to the surface, putting her necklace back on just before they reached the surface. They resurfaced with Fin back in human form just in time, and David and Kelly ,who appeared to be unconcious, clearly back up first and already escorted on her jetski back to the shore. Fin, meanwhile, placed Reef on her board -surprisingly strong despite being smaller then Reef- and got back on hers and then Bummer handed Fin some rope while he took his board before he towed them back to shore, Fin gripping Reef's arm tightly.

**Minutes later**

Fin dragged Reef off his surfboard and onto the sand and watched with concern. She didn't pay attention to the crowd already gathered around them. This was the _second _time Fin rescued him this summer! Reef may be a kook, but he sure didn't deserve to die! Luckily, he started to stir already, eyes stinging with seawater like last time. He coughed up seawater and spat it out. He then opened his eyes fully, vision blurry for just a moment. He saw Fin looking and smiling down at him, relieved he was still alive.

"Feeling better, kook?" asked Fin.  
"I am now that you're here." was Reef's answer.  
"Oh, shut up." she said jokingly.

Then they turned to Kelly, who was still out, was laid down on the beach, David trying **desparately **to revive her, pressing down on her heart, and even a bit of CPR, which miracuously worked. Kelly regained conciousness, coughing up some water and gasping for air. When she opened her eyes, she David looking down at her. Kelly couldn't believe her luck that she was just rescued by this young man!

"Hi." Kelly said weakly.  
"Hi yourself." David said back. "Are you okay?"  
"I am now." was her reply. Then she lifted herself back up and dusted herself.

"I'm Kelly Clark, by the way." she introduced herself.  
"David Hughs." He told her. Kelly smiled and blushed at meeting this mysterious saviour. Lo, Emma, and Jess were surprised she acutally blushed. They had _never _seen Kelly act this way before! Plus, Lo noticed and stated to her friends that the sitatuion Kelly just went through similarly happened to Lo herself six years ago, albeit minus the mouth-to-mouth.

Then Mal Jordan and Kahuna arrived. They turned to Fin and Mal told her, "Fin McCloud, that was very brave, rescuing a fellow surfer in need."

"Just doing what I had to do." Fin said. Mal Jordan understood.

"Oh, and you won the contest, since you were the last one standing. Congradulations." Kahuna added. Fin's eyes opened with shock. Her first surf contest among humans and she actually won fair & square! She couldn't believe her luck! Then another thought hit her.

"Wait, what about Amber and the Cthulhu Gang?" Fin asked.

"Because she tried to drop in on you, again, she's disqualified." Mal Jordan said. "She and her gang left minutes ago." Fin, Reef and their pals looked around and noticed the Cthulhu Gang was nowhere to be seen. Then Mal offered Fin a trophy for her victory. It was a wooded stand with a golden surfboard perched on it. She accepted that she won fair and square. Mal further informed her that Reef was in second, and David in third, despite having pearled. The crowd went wild in cheering for them.

* * *

_**"You BLOCKHEADS!"**_ The man in the shadows bellowed at the Cthulhu Gang. They were in a bowed-down position, all facedown in defeat.

**_"How by the sea could you lose again?"_** He said in an agitiated tone.

"The new girlsss and the new dude were tougher to trip up than the othersss, even though-" Tuna said, cut off by the big man.

**_"Excuses, excuses!"_ **He thundered.** "Even the insane Amber Green coulda done better!"**

"But at leassst we managed to make foolsss of them when Amber'sss petsss knocked our rival sssurfersss off their boardsss dissscretely." Betty added quickly. "Even Lo & Ty bailed. Surely they must be feeling rather let down by that."

"True." The man in the shadows said as he simmered down a bit. "I hoped for utter humiliation, but it's a start."

"There'sss sssomething you should know about the new girlsss, sssir. Sssomething sssuspiciousss." Tuna hissed.  
"And what's that?" asked the man in the shadows.  
"The little girl that kicked Amber in the shin, we noticcced what looked like a red sssquid tattoo on her left shoulder." Betty informed him.  
"A squid tattoo, you say?" the man in the shadows inquired.  
"And all five of them had their fingertips curled in, hiding their nailsss." Betty added.  
"Do you sssuppossse they were actually mermaidsss in disssguissse?" asked Tuna.  
"Hmm, these details you just told me do sound suspicious." the shadowed man admited.  
"Still, we're not sure, though I think that could account for how Fin was able to outsurf me so well on her first time surfing." Amber commented, her mood made uglier from just thinking about Fin.  
"Maybe, but we're not sure until we witness any merfolk in their true forms or use their abilities." The big man said.

"Plus, on the other hand -or tentacle- Archimedes & Nancy Ridgemount and their offspring, along with those five girls, would make charming additions to Amber's little garden..." he said as he turned to what looked like a twisted & wicked 'garden'. It was full of what appeared to be sea worms individually stuck in one spot where they stand, and these 'sea worms' had vaguely humanoid faces, writhing in fear as his shadow towered over them as he cackled, joined by Amber in the evil laughter.

* * *

**THE NEXT DAY**

They were all at the public beach with no crowds around this time, celebrating their newfound victory against the Cthulhu Gang. Even Mr. Ridgemount and Bummer were proud of them, despite Lo & Ty having lost. They were laughing, talking amongst themselves.

Kelly, who was allowed to take a break from her job for the day considering what she had gone through yesterday, was with David, who she invited to the occasion, her head on his shoulder. During her time off duty, Kelly and David were starting to get to know each other. Kelly learned that David was a graduate from University of Victoria, where he recently earned an undergraduate degree in business. He also told her he liked playing acoustic guitar, listening to jazz, Latin (mainly Cuban jazz and Brazilian) and chillout music, hockey, retro cars, coffee houses, and hanging out with friends.

David also let her know he doesn't like concieted people, braggarts, and injustice. Kelly was curious about how he was able to swim deep down fast enough to reach her and bring her back to up the surface like he did or why she was getting vibes of curiosity and suspicion, but didn't dwell on it and was grateful that she was still alive. Meeting David had clearly changed Kelly's life for the better. They came to the surf shack. Snack Shack was making Beaver Tails for his friends, both old and new.

Johnny was trying to get Emma's attention and affections, as Ty did with Jess's but once again, they just plain didn't get the message. They sulked greatly that they failed, _again_. Those two girls were just plain _**oblivious**_! Kenny and Ripper consoled Johnny, while Lance and Kaycee did the same to Ty. Much to Lance's luck, he and Kaycee finally got aqquainted, arm in arm, but hadn't become more than friends... not yet, anyway. Roxxie, George, and Grommet were getting along a little bit better, which brought her big sister relief.

As for Reef, he was happy to be with Fin, and vice versa, despite their denial and their friends teasing them about their relationship.

**"To Surfer's Paradise!"** Reef and Fin shouted in unison.  
**"To Surfer's Paradise!"** Their friends shouted in triumph.

Lance then noticed something he hadn't seen before on Kaycee- the octopus mark on her upper back.

"Hey, Kayce, is- is that a... _tattoo _on your back?" asked Lance asked. This took Kaycee and the other mermaids by surprise, but played it cool, since their marks looked like tattoos. The other humans were surprised to hear that.

"Oh, yeah." Kaycee replied. She turned her back to show them her mark. The were astonished by the sight.

"Is that an octopus?" asked Kenny. Kaycee nodded 'yes'. Then Roxxie pulled up her left sleeve to show them, primarily George and Grommet, her mark.  
"A squid?" asked George. Rxxie nodded and pulled her sleeve back down.  
"Your other friends all have tattoos, don't they?" asked Kenny. Fin repied "Yes."  
"Show them." Fin said to her mer-friends, who did as they were told, careful not to expose their fingerscales.

Emma showed Johnny her right palm, which showed a green dolphin shape. Jess lifted her shirt just enough (only her belly) to show the blue whale mark on her upper abdomen before letting it back down, which surprised Ty in particular. David showed Kelly his right hand, which showed what looked like a sliver coelacanth, which certainly surprised Kelly.

"Didn't think you'd be the type to get a tattoo." Kelly stated.  
"Actually, it's a birthmark, and a very unusual one at that." David told her.  
"No kidding." was Kelly reply. For some reason, she started getting suspicious vibes stronger than before after seeing that birthmark. What was so suspicious about him? Kelly shrugged it off right away.

"Hey Broseph, don't you and Grommet have tattoos as well?" Lo asked Broseph.  
"Yeah." Broseph answered. Then he turned around to show them... a green sea turtle shape just below the back of his neck. Grommet showed the same type of tattoo, albeit on his lower back and in bright yellow. The mermaids were surprised by this. Had they seen the turtle and coelacanth shapes before? Then Reef turned to Fin.

"Let me guess Fin, you have a tattoo as well?" asked Reef. Fin's answer was "As a matter of fact, yes." She lifted her shirt just enough to show the mark on her belly, which was the most intricate and unique of them all. It showed a great white shark below and an orca above in a ring pattern, looking as though they were chasng each other. And unlike the other mermaids' marks, these had minor details- eyes, teeth and gill slits (the last one on the shark). Reef was especially surprised.

"Wow, you shielas must be ocean fanatics." Ripper said.  
"Yeah, pretty much." Fin said. Then she noticed Broseph, Grommet, Kenny, David and an unexepcted Kahuna staring at her mark with curious intent, which making Fin uncomfortable.

"Uh guys..." Fin uttered. Lo pulled Broseph back firmly. The others backed away slowly brows raised in curiosity as Fin pulled her shirt back down.

"Broseph, what's the big deal?" Lo asked him. His answer was "Not sure. I could've sworn I've seen it before." The mermaids were slightly nervous and curious at once, with just cause.  
"And I dunno why, but I've been getting strong vibes from you five girls and the Brown brothers. Why is that?" Kenny asked, sratching her head in wonder.  
"I'm wondering that myself." David stated.  
"Hmm, I believe I've seen those markings before, dude. Trying to remember where. Hmm..." Kahuna stated, then wandered off for parts unknown.

Then Reef heard a bubbly, feminine, familiar laugh of excitement, which took him by unpleased surprise, as marked by his face, eyes wide, mouth gaping, then he turned his head to his right.

"**Oh no! _No, no, no, no, no!_**" He exclaimed.

* * *

**Now, who could that be? Certainly not Amber. Can anyone guess this one? Whoo! This has gotta the longest chapter I've made so far!**

**Surprise, surprise, WhazzupPeeps! Here's where David makes his proper introduction. Oh, and congrats to The Cullens of Death Metal for figurin' out the identity of Kelly's future lover, seriously. Oh, and sorry if I didn't do the surf contest scene well enough. I'm just tryin' to do the best I could.**

**What were those strange shadows in the waves? What was that tail wrapped around Kelly attached to? What's Amber and her Gang hidin'? What kind of pets does Amber have that she mentioned? Why are the Brown brothers and David givin' off suspicious vibes (don't answer this one. Seriously, _don't_. It's rhetorical and I wanna keep it all a surprise.)? And what was with that garden of sea worms in that dark, evil room?**

**Read & Review, y'all!**


	10. You're a Mermaid!

Start: 11-22-10  
Finish: 11-26-10

**WhazzupPeeps: Yeah, unrequited love routine sure seems to be runnin' here on chapter 8. And yeah, Reef got pinched by the crabs, too, also courtesy of Fin XD! Glad I'm keepin' the characters true to the show so far!**

**As for chapter 9, got no arguments here on the Cthulhu Gang's defeat. Glad you approve of David's intro in it. Wanted to surprise ya is all. As for Kahuna, we'll see about that...**

**The Cullens of Death Metal: Thanks for not spoilin' the secret. Really appreciate it. I'll be revealin' it on the next couple chapters, anyway. As for the mystery gal, no, it ain't Blaire. Good try, though.**

**Roscieee: Bada bingo! You guess right! The gigglin' is in fact from Reef's mom! She makes her intro here in this chapter. Enjoy.**

**CHAPTER 10: You're a Mermaid!**

* * *

Reef turned to his right, hoping that laugh wasn't from who he thought it was, which, unfortunately for him, it was.

This woman was in her late-thirties to early-forties and was shorter than Reef- in fact, at least about Rosie's height, actually. She was carrying a pink duffel bag over her shoulder. Her skin's lightly tanned like Reef's, and she wore a light blue, sleeveless shirt, blue flip-flops. The one thing the mermaids, especially Fin, found surprising was that she looked like... an older female version of _Reef_, only her hair was in a bun!

The person that came over was, in fact... his mother, running excitedly to where Reef was! Paniced, he looked for a place to hide and chose to run for the beaver tails stand. Before he could even grab the stand doors, though, she caught up with him, embraced him in a hug, pulled him by his ears to kiss him on the cheek. Reef was not looking too happy about this predicament. And then she said something out loud that gave them the giggles.

"How's my little Leslie?" she asked.

"_**LESLIE?**_" His friends heard with humorous disbelief. The mermaids, especially Fin, were greatly amused about what they just heard. Then they laughed their butts off, Fin especially. Even Roxxie, George, Grommet, Kelly and David couldn't help but chuckle at this awkwardness. What kind of name for a dude was Leslie?

"Moms, what are you doing here?" Asked Reef. "Why didn't you call first?" His mother released her grip.

"I wanted to surprise you, sweet pea." Ms. Volotres told him. "Oh, that and I've heard that there was a group of new girls that told that creepy Amber off and I came to see if the rumors were true."

"And look, I brought someone special with me," said Ms. Volotres, just as she reached into her duffel bag and pulled out... a little fish plushie? How embarrassing! It was roundish, yellow with blue stripes and fins, and its face had a cartoonish look to it.

"_Ta-da!_ You never could sleep without widdle Flounder!" she blabbed. The others laughed at this awkward situation as Reef grabbed the plushie and hid it behind his back, even though it was too late. His mother turned to his friends, which she and her only son had known for six years since they arrived here. Ms. Volotres then noticed five new girls and a new guy next to Kelly.

"New friends of yours, honey?" asked Ms. Volotres. The mermaids got up and walked to Ms. Volotres to meet her.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Volotres. And yes, we're very good friends with _Leslie_." Fin said with humor in her voice at that name as she shook her hand before they snickered at this, much to Reef's annoyance.

"So, you must be the five new girls I've heard so much about. Did you really tell Amber Green off?" asked Ms. Volotres.

"As a matter, we are and did." Emma answered. "I'm Emma Smith."

"Jess Evans." the whale-marked brunette said.

"Roxxie Patricia Johnsonbaugh, and this is my big sister, Kaycee Faythe Johnsonbaugh." Roxxie said politely, for once.

"And I'm Fin McCould." the blond said. Ms. Volotres's face lit up at the sound of her name, then she grinned.

"So you're Fin McCloud I've heard so much about. So, is it true that you outsurfed Amber _**AND **_saved my son after he was knocked out in the contest?" she asked. Kenny, Ripper, and the others chortled at the fact Reef was _saved by a girl_, and one who was _smaller_ than him, at that! Reef growled silently in irritation.

"Yes, it is. Just did what I had to do, that's all." Fin told Ms. Volotres.

"And I'm proud you did." Ms. Volotres. "My little Leslie's all I have left." This time they didn't laugh because she was serious about that last statement.

"Why? What happened to your husband?" Jess asked with concern.

"He was in a boating accident six years ago, off the coast of Malibu, and he never returned." Ms. Volotres explained, glimpsing her son sulking at the sound of her comment. "My only son was devastated and he needed a better life," she added forlornly. "Which was why we came here to Surfer's Paradise in the first place."

"Oh. I had no idea." Fin said with genuine concern for him, for a change. "He never said a word about his old man."

"He's just not comfortable talking about it since the incident all those years ago." Ms. Volotres informed her.

"I feel his pain," Kenny said, shoulders and head sagging. "Lost my _makua kane_ (father) to cancer when I was fourteen." Ripper placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her, which worked and helped.

"Sorry to hear that." Jess said.

"Trust us, Rossie and I know the feeling." Kaycee said glumly.

"Really? What happened to your dad?" Lo asked, with some concern in her voice.

"He was speared down while in the line of duty four years ago." was Kaycee and Roxxie's reply. The air was suddenly filled with gasps of pity and shock, 'oh dear', 'what?' and 'OMG'. Even Reef felt sorry for them.

"Our dad was defending the reef when he died." Roxxie added, with a tear coming down her face. Roxxie usually didn't show sadness, but the loss of their father devastated their mother, Kaycee and especially Roxxie. Lance and George looked on in concern. George never felt this was toward anyone. Ever. Was this a crush George was having on her? Lo, having noticed this, teased her little brother about his little crush on Roxxie in the most sensitive way she could, which George protested at first but soon admitted it, though relunctantly. Fin & Emma already had the tears thing explained to them by Jess & Kaycee in private at the staff house, that their bodies make tears when they cry, but figured they wouldn't have them, living underwater and all.

"Oh, you poor dears." Ms. Volotres replied in pity. Then Kaycee brought up something else.

"But a couple years back, our mom met someone under... rough circumstances." Kaycee said.

"Really? Who's that?" asked Ms. Volotres.

"My math teacher, Mr. Redman." said Roxxie. Reef's mom gave her a perplexed glance.

"_**Seriously?**_" she asked.

"Yeah. Pretty much. Ever since we met him, our mom's felt better around him and felt as if our dad's come back from the dead. We felt that much better since." Kaycee told her.

"That's really good to hear." Ripper said.

"And the big surprise to me and Roxxie- they've decided to elope!" Kaycee told them. They were shocked to hear this.

"Your mom's marrying your sister's _teacher?__!_" Lance said with an incredulous look.

"Oh yeah. We were downright shocked when she told us that." Kaycee said.

"By the way, Kaycee, what did you mean by 'rough circumstances'?" Ms. Volotres asked.

"We met in a storm out at sea. A small but rough one." Kaycee replied. "We were gonna hunker down for the night when we saw his boat rocking in the waves. How we saved him- well, I'm afraid that's... _classified_."

The 'Johnsonbaugh' sisters left out the fact that their father, a merman, was killed by a speargun fired by what appeared to be an insane human at a distance. They grew to dislike humans in general bit by bit as result. Jess, who was around at the time, a little more so. Their hatred for humans started to dim somewhat when they met Mr. Redman.

Another thing the 'Johnsonbaugh' sisters left out the fact that Roxxie told Mr. Redman, that their mom had a crush on him. Now, they were getting married in November. Kaycee considered Roxxie to be true 'evil' genius. Little did they know, however, there was one catch they didn't know...

* * *

**THE FOLLOWING MORNING**

_**"ROXXIE PATRICIA KRAKENOVE!"**_ Kaycee shouted at the top of her lungs. Roxxie bolted to their bedroom. Kelly followed. Apparently Kelly got these two as roomates in her room, still unaware she had two mermaids as such.

"What, what? What is it?" Roxxie asked in surprise. Kaycee, with her iShellphone in hand, stormed over to her. Then Kaycee told Kelly politely and calmly to leave for this was a personal family affair. Kelly understood and moved away. Kaycee calmly closed the bedroom door and then turned to Roxxie.

"Did you know you set our mom up with a **human** when you told him about her crush on him?" Kaycee growled at her sister. The pigtail-haired twelve-year-old's eyes opened wide with shock.

"**What?** Mr. Redman's _human_? I swear I didn't know!" Roxxie blurted out defensively. "I wouldn't have done that had I known that!" Considering their still-present dislike of humans, Kaycee believe her and simmered down. Then they discussed what to do about this predicament. Suddenly Kaycee opened her eyes wide with shock in realization at one thing: She said their true last name out loud, and Kelly was within earshot. Oh dear. This was going to comprimise and complicate their cover a little...

* * *

"Eh, it was rough but bearable. We blended in just fine." Fin said. Fin was on her iShellPhone. "Still, you would not imagine what I had to go through! The guest rooms I had to clean were pits of _nast_! I'm not kidding you!"

"Oh, I managed to pull through, made some friends with a few humans, and I never even remotely mentioned my true ID or origins to any of them, though Roxxie nearly -I repeat, _**NEARLY**_- blew our cover with her temper toward the human called Reef due to his sexist insult." Fin added.

"I know. Who knew, right? Well, Reef seems okay when he doesn't show off or brag about anything. Chillax, mom, we're just friends. Okay, love you too, mom. Bye." Fin finished as she hung up her iShellphone and placed it next to her necklace on some small stool next to the tub. Fin was currently in the water- and soap-filled bathtub... in mermaid form, of all things!

This bubble-bath thing (with a little help from Lo) was a bit new to her, since Fin lived in the water her whole life. She found the soap in the water nice and refreshing to her skin and denticles (her tail was sharklike, after all). Fin then turned her attention to her mark and wondered whether it was a good idea to have shown the humans their marks.

**ALL** merfolk had marks somewhere on their upper bodies, always in the form/shape of creatures from the ocean/sea. The marks remind merfolk they were from the sea. These marks were important to merfolk in terms of ancestry and origin, more so only to those of royal blood. Such marks are distinguished by minor details (eyes, teeth, etc.). Marks showing one form of sea creature are common, normal and routine. Marks showing two or more animals were rare on commoners, and they were even rarer on royalty. Merfolk with such marks were highly valued and given the best treatment and training possible. Such merfolk are given high expectations of their peers in terms of leadership and responsibility.

Also, merfolk tended to live either as freelancers or in clans depending on their marks- or their choices. For example, Emma Tursiops was of the playful but alert Dolphin Clan, Kaycee and Roxxie Krakenove were mermbers of the intelligent, crafty Cephalopod Clan (octopus and squid, respectively), and Jess from the gentle but responsible Baleen Whale Clan. Mer-people from clans usually, routinely had marks based on one type of sea creature. Commoners with marks from two clans are very rare, royals even more so. Fin happened to be such a mermaid, since her mother was from the fierce but playful Orca Clan and her father from the ancient, fearsome, but life-balance-vital Shark Clan.

Then Fin heard a knock on the door and heard a slightly muffled voice, taking her by surprise. Fin couldn't make who that was at the door.

Then, in a quick attempt to avoid unwanted exposure _**AND**_ simultaneously avoid embarrassment, she grabbed her necklace, flopped out of the tub onto the floor, and put it back on, got her legs -and her human threads- back in a flash of light. At the same time, the doorknob turned and the door opened and in came... Reef! Clearly she somehow forgot to lock the door! How did she overlook that detail?

"I'm just gonna get some wax for my board and I'll be ou- oh, sorry about that! I didn't know you were-" He stopped in his tracks and shilded his eyes. Then he exposed an eye to notice she was already dressed, but there was something off about this.

"Uh, by the way, what was that flopping sound? And that flashing light?" asked Reef.

"Just a figment of your imagination, kook!" Fin lied.

"Uh-uh, no way that was a hallucination. I know I saw a flash from the crack under the door and I know I heard somethin' floppin'. What you hiding in there, a fish?" asked Reef. Reef may not the sharpest tool in the shed, obviously, but clearly even _he _wasn't _that _stupid!

Then Reef noticed a trail of water _leading _to Fin's _feet_! And Fin was already dressed yet she was still slightly wet with water, while the tub was still filled with water and soapy bubbles. Reef was growing more suspicious, making Fin understandably nervous, even though she didn't show it. Reef got up and walked toward her.

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?" Reef asked. "I dunno what it is, but sooner or later, I'll- Woah!" He said, just as he stepped on a misplaced bar of soap, causing him to slip and fall hard onto his posterior and back, which Fin got a load of laughs out of.

"Deep down, I know you've been keeping something from me since the day we met." Reef said as stood back up, still determined to find out her secret. "I mean, the bathtub's still full, there's a trail of water leading to you, and you're dressed without drying yourself. Care to explain?" he asked. Fin, unable to think of a believable lie, sighed in exasperation and was forced to do something she knew she was going to regret.

"Alright, fine,, I'll tell you, but you have to _promise_ to keep this a secret. Don't tell any of your friends about it, or you'll be **sorry**!" Fin said sternly to Reef. Reef reluctantly accepted.

"Okay, so what made that flopping sound and what was that flashing light?" Reef calmly.

"I'll show you, but I'll have to just add water." Fin said, puzzling Reef with her statement as she walked back to the bathtub. Then she took off her necklace and handed it to Reef.

"What you're about to see takes ten seconds to occur in contact with water." Fin told him, still not happy about what she was doing. "By the way, you might wanna close the door, make sure no one passing by catches sight of what you're about to witness."

Reef went to the door and closed it. Fin muttered to herself , "My friends and fam are gonna be so steamed when they find out about this." Fin stepped back into the tub, sat back down, which baffled Reef greatly, and then -_**dun dun dun!**_- there goes that flash of light. Reef shielded his eyes from the blinding light. Once it died down a few seconds later, he lowered his hand to see... Fin in the same spot, but as a _mermaid!_ Reef's eyes popped open and his jaw dropped in shock as to what he was seeing.

"F- Fin, you're- you're a - you're a-" Reef stammered in utter disbelief.

"Go on, say it." Fin said, in an annoyed tone.

"You're a **mermaid?**" Reef asked in shock. "I was insulted by and lost to a _mermaid?_"

"Yup, pretty much." Fin said casually.

"I can't believe I've actually fallen in love _with a mermaid!_" Reef shouted in shock, immediately before clasping his hands over his mouth. His face **_blushed _**as red as his hair! Fin couldn't believe what she just heard. A big part of her wanted to confess her feelings for him, but felt severely torn as she remembered the forbidden love law and frowned, her fingerscales turning indigo, which Reef now noticed.

"Fin, why did your nails just change color?" he asked, still in shock. Fin explained to Reef that her fingerscales changed color with her mood, that the 'tattoo' was in fact a birthmark, that she grew a tail whenever she came in contact with water, and that the necklace prevented her water-triggered transformation while it was around her neck. During this, she climbed out the tub and regained her decently clothed human form after drying herself. And Fin even told Reef one thing that stunned him more.

"And there's another reason I wear some purple. It's a royal color. Thing is, my parents are literally the king and queen of the ocean." Fin blurted out. Reef gasped raggedly at what he just heard.

"You mean, you're a **PRINCESS?**" Reef exclaimed. "I'm in love with _**a mermaid princess?**_ And one who called me a kook and kicked my butt in surfing?"

"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" Reef asked. Fin took a deep breath and confessed this particular detail.

"I have another confession to make. Remember that night when you were dragged down by that freak undertow early in the summer?" asked Fin.

"Yeah." Reef replied.

"Truth is, it was I who saved you that fateful night." Fin confessed, Reef's face was bewildered. "So yes, we have met before. The reason I told you otherwise was because we merfolk live in discretion."

"So, that's twice you rescued me?" asked Reef, clearly not mad that she lied -he's too shocked about the mermaid situation to even think about that-, much to Fin's surpirse. Fin nodded 'yes'.

"So, you **promise **not to tell?" asked Fin.  
"Yeah, sure thing. I mean, seriously, a _mermaid_? Who's gonna believe that?" Reef pointed out. Fin instinctively knew he was speaking truthfully at this point, so she believed him and admitted he had a point.

"So, the other four girls that came with you, they wouldn't happen to be mermaids, too, would they?" Reef asked curiously.  
"Yeah, they are." Fin answered.

"Well, that explains a lot." Reef added. "It's just that- this a lot to absorb." Fin understood. Then Fin asked for her necklace back, which Reef gave to her willingly, then she put back around her neck. Then she drained the tub, and then focused their attention on a new problem: finding a way to make it through through the summer without drawing any unwanted human attention.

"I think I know who can help us with this." Reef said to Fin. Fin looked at him in curiosity. "Kahuna!" Fin's eyes opened wide. "Dude's an ocean fanatic. Chances are he'd be familiar with mermaid legends."

"That blond beach hermit? Huh. Now where have I heard that name? I could have sworn I knew that name somewhere." Fin wondered aloud. "Okay, let's go. Oh, we better keep this between ourselves."

"Agreed". Reef replied. With that, she opened the door, stepped out of the bathroom, the then the staff house altogether and went to see if Kahuna lend them a hand.  
"Now I see what Roxxie meant by 'my species'. What's her problem? Why did she call my species 'brutish and barbaric'?" Asked Reef.  
"Unfortunate childhood experience." Fin answered. "You see, Roxxie, Kaycee & Jess grew a major dislike for humans when..." Fin started to explain as they walked off.

* * *

**Okay, so now Reef knows Fin's secret. Didn't see this comin', huh? Reef disoverin' Fin's secret- this was just bound to happen sooner or later. Now, how will the other mermaids react to this? And what is Kahuna's connection to the mermaids? Find out in the next chapter!**


	11. The Mermaids' Revelation and a Surprise

Start: 11-26-10  
Finished: 12-5-10

**Whoanessness: I believe it's pronounced 'conundrum'. I agree on the 'Kelly heard their true last name' sitch. Glad ya liked the Roxxie/George moment, too. And yeah, looks they're finally gnna get along a little bit better, and I do mean _a little bit_. And yeah, Reef does have a big mouth, but then again, ya would freak out from findin' out your potential lover turns out to be a mer-person, but that's just me.**

**The Cullens of Death Metal: No doubt it'll be interestin'. And no, I'm not givin' Reef's mom the name "Ariel". Woulda been a good reference, though, I admit.**

**Roscieee: I have this to say for ya: Surprise, surprise. 'Nuff said.**

**Also, I thought I'd put some Loseph in this chapter in honor of Lemonly (given he's made some pretty good Loseph fanfics) & Constance Faye Dyer.**

**Think Reef discovering Fin's true form was a shocker? Wait 'till y'all read this chapter! One of which you probably never expected.**

**Chapter 11: The Mermaids' Revelation and a Surprise**

* * *

**"You did **_**WHAT**_**_?_"** Emma, Jess, and Kaycee shouted at Fin. Fin just told them she revealed her secrets to Reef and that he had fallen for her and she for him, as much as she wanted to deny it (again).

"I cannot _believe_ you did that, Fin!" Jess said. "Do you have any idea how steamed your parents and siblings are going to be when they find out about this?"

"I didn't like this anymore than you, but what choice did I have?" Fin pointed out.

"Plus, he promised to keep it all a secret." The royal mermaid added.

"That's true." Emma put in.

"Still, this doesn't excuse you from the king & queen's punishment when they find out you broke rules one and three!"" Kaycee stated.

"I know." Fin admitted.

"However, it seems that there's at least one human I believe can help us out. Kahuna. I've seen some merfolk-related objects in his hut." Fin added. The mermaids opened their eyes in shock.

"Really?" The mer-girls asked in surprise.

"He explained that he now rembembers where he had seen my mark before- from the sea, off the coast of Sunset Island. He also said he knew my parents before they married- in fact he introduced them. He said that he was an old friend of the mer-people, and promised to keep our existence secret from the humans." The mermaids were surprised at what they just heard.

"So _**THAT'S**_ where I've heard that name before! My mom ocasionally mentioned him from time to time, how he managed to save entire mer-familes from the humans' fishing nets, spears, & harpoons back in his day, whether he was on land, on a boat, or even underwater, all without exposing our species to them!" Kaycee exclaimed.

"He even helped my dad & mom slay the starspawn sea witch at Cthulhu's Grotto in their youth long ago, and he had one of her face tentacles in a jar to prove it." Fin put in, shuddering at that last part.

"I knew there was something familiar about this Kahuna we've heard about!" Emma said.

"And he's still keeping his promise not to expose us merfolk!" Fin added.

"Well, it looks like there is a human we can trust after all." Jess said.

"This is gonna be a long, interesting summer." Fin stated, with no idea how interesting the summer was going to be...

* * *

**FOUR WEEKS LATER**

The party they had been waiting for was almost here! The teens were **SO** stoked about, _ESPECIALLY_ the merfolk among them! This was gonna be really... interesting.

Over the past weeks, Reef & Fin had trying to get along, albeit still arguing like a married couple and still getting teased about their relationgship & wanting to kiss each other on the lips by their friends, but at least they were starting to bond, little by little. Emma was still fixed on Ty and mireading Johnny's messages. Ty was still trying to confess his feelings for Jess, but still failed.

Ms. Volotres was still around around, making her son's life rough & embarrassing, even to the point of teasing him about his budding relationship with Fin, annoying him more. Plus, Fin even came up with the term 'Leslie' for 'herb, squid, complete loser' to annoy Reef when he made any sexist insults, which frequently occured & worked. The other mermaids & humans that heard his true first name teased him with it, often saying 'what a leslie' or 'don't be such a leslie'. However, Ms. Volotres always felt vibes of suspicion from Fin in terms of origin, currently unaware Reef had fallen for (and been rescued twice by) a mermaid princess.

Roxxie played with George & Grommet at the penthouse pool area and still getting along well despite a few... disagreements.

Lance & Kaycee were starting to bond, much Ripper & Kenny's surprise & relief. Lo had been trying (and failing) to get back in the penthouse from time to time, and occasionally went shopping while off duty, but she mostly hung out with Broseph. Lo & Broseph were still dating, to the point of making out front in of their pals including Reef & Fin, which annoyed them into saying 'why don't you two get a room?' Kelly & David bonded nicely over the weeks and even started dating two weeks ago. They even took surf lessons from Fin, which they passed nicely. Kelly still felt vibes of suspicion from him, though, but hadn't let it bother her so far. David kept trying to tell her something personal but kept getting cut off by his calls on his suspiciously shell-fashioned sliver iPhone involving some disturbances around the resort & beach, whatever they were...

Also, Kelly had occasionally been pondering about the mermaid sisters' true last name, why Kaycee called out 'Krakenove' instead of 'Johnsonbaugh', but the sisters kept changing the subject or getting called upon by their friends, Bummer, or Mr. & Ms. Ridgemount.  
'What on Earth could they be hiding?' Kelly thought.

Lo, Ty, their parents, Johnny, Kelly, Emma, & Jess are walking their way through the hotel lobby. Lo's going over the list of inventory to make sure they everything they need for the The Big Splash party.

"Ok, so we have the ocean-themed decorations?" asked Lo, going over her list of inventory for the summer beach bash coming this weekend. "Check." Answered Ty.  
"Snacks, food & drinks?" Lo asked.  
"Check." said Ms. Ridgemount.  
Lo added "Activities & games?"  
"We got that down." Jess responded.  
Lo then asked "Fireworks for the night?"  
"Got plenty of those." Johnny replied.  
"Okay, all I need to do is pay for insurance for any damages that come our way and we're all good to go. Any questions?" Lo asked.

"I have one." Emma replied. "Ask away, Emma." Lo said. Then the redhead asked a question that took them by surpise.

"What's insurance?" Lo, her family, Johnny, and Kelly stopped in their tracks and slowly turned to her, eyes wide in shock. They couldn't believe Emma hadn't heard of insurance.

"You-You're kidding, right? You've never heard of _insurance_?" Lo asked in shock. Emma & Jess nodded sideways.

_"Seriously?"_ they asked at once. The merfolk may have familiarized themselves with a lot of modern things from the human world, but insurance was **rarely**, if _EVER_, one of them.

"We don't exactly have such a thing where we come from." Jess told them.  
"And where exactly _are_ you from?" asked Ms. Ridgemount with minor suspicion in her voice. Emma & Jess's reply is "It's not on the map. You wouldn't believe us if we told you, anyway." The humans were stunned by this.

"An unknown country? How unexpected." Kelly stated.

"Actually, it's more of a kingdom. We live by descretion in terms of where we came from." Emma corrected. Johnny, Ty, Lo, Mr. & Ms. Ridgemount, & Kelly raised a brow.

"The sea's kind of our home, our livelihood even. It's a little complicated." Jess added.

"So your families really do live by the sea, huh?" Mr. Ridgemount.

"You might say that." Jess replied. "Oookaaayyy..." was all the humans could say. The baffled humans felt a pang of suspicion, but let it slide off and moved on.

With that, the two mermaids-in-disguise uttered "whew!"

"That was close." Emma stated.

"It seems the human world's more complex than ever. Which means blending in's going to be more challenging and require more caution than I anticipated." Jess added. Emma nodded in agreement.

"Better tell the others. Kahuna may help us with that, as well." Emma tacked on. And off they went.

* * *

"Okay, so far, so good." Fin said to Emma, Jess, Kaycee & Roxxie as they entered the staff house. "None of them have discovered our big secret, and hope it stays that way." The mer-girls had returned from the Kahuna's hut. To their surprise, he already knew deep down what they really were the moment he saw them.

"What secret?" a voice asked. The mer-girls, starled by the voice, turned their attention to the way they came and at the door was... Broseph! This couldn't be happening!

"Uh, you wouldn't beleive us if we told you." was the girls' reply.

"Try me." said Broseph. "I've been gettin' strong suspicious vibes from you five since your arrival."

Then he asked a question that shocked them. "You five wouldn't happen to be mermaids, would you?" The mergirls opened their eyes in shock at the question.

"How else could I explain those marks on you, and the fact you wear necklaces associated with the ocean. That and the fact that Fin's a princess judging by the detailed marks on her belly." he added. The mer-girls were nervous & shocked from the fact that Broseph knew a great deal about their species.

"And don't worry, I won't tell anyone." He said, much to their relief. "Of course, I'm not too thrilled about keeping secrets, especially from Lo. I've got a secret as big as yours. And I've always felt like telling Lo about it, but never told her or any on my friends" Broseph put in. Suddenly, they heard a gasp of shock and they saw it came from... Lo, who just stepped in, eyes open wide with disbelief!

"What? Yo- You've been keeping secrets, from me?" asked Lo. Broseph rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness.

"We've known each other for six years, and now I find out you're hiding something from me?" Lo asked in shock. "I thought we were open to one another! I thought we could tell each other anything!" she said in an understandly upset tone. Oh, dear. This was starting to put some strain on their relationship, and even their date!

"Look, Lo, it's just that-" Broseph started to explain, but Lo stormed off, out of the staff house. Broseph bolted after her, then the mermaids followed.

"Oh, c'mon, Lo, just hear me out!" Broseph said, Lo still walking away in disappointment.

"Go away, Broseph! Just _Ho'i a'u wale no_!" (leave me alone!) Lo demanded. Clearly she had been learning some Hawaiin vocabulary from Kendra! Then Broseph run past Lo and blocked her path, desparate to talk some sense into her as he dropped to his knees, hands clasped together in begging.

"_**PLEASE**_, Lo, just give me a chance to explain! I'm on my knees here, Lo!" Broseph begged.

Lo sighed in exasperation and asked "Alright, so what's your 'big secret'? Huh?"

"Well," Broseph started, noticing Lo's left eye twitching in irritation. "it's something you have to see for yourself to believe." Lo was still upset, but now puzzled by what he meant.

"Okay, then show me." Lo demanded impatiently, arms crossed.

"This secret requires water to kick in. Meet me by the cove?" Broseph said to her.

"You've been keeping secrets from us, Broseph?" a group of voices called out. Broseph, Lo, and the five mermaids craned their heads to see... Reef, Johnny, Ripper, Kenny, and Lance! Oh, boy! Then the Hawaiian human noticed Fin & Reef were looking away, trying to look innocent & casual, while rubbing the back of the necks.

"Reef, are you and Fin hiding something from us, as well?" asked Kenny. The other humans caught on, brows raised.

"Uh...?" said Reef, looking for something to cover up the fact Fin and her friends were mermaids.

"You are, aren't you, mate?" Ripper asked suspiciously. Before the other humans could pile on the peer pressure on Reef to make him spill the beans (metaphorically speaking), Fin intervened.

"Alright, alright, we'll show our big secret, but you _**HAVE**_ to promise not to tell anyone else about this, got that?" Fin proposed. Reef couldn't _believe_ what he was hearing!

"Fin, are you sure you wanna do this?" he asked in concern. Fin gave him an 'got any better ideas, kook?' look. The other mermaids -and Broseph- weren't happy about this, but had no choice. And off to the cove of The Office they went.

* * *

It was almost sunset when they reached the cove. Fin told Emma, Jess, the 'Johnsonbaugh' sisters, and even Broseph to follow her into the water and the humans to stand back and watch, confused glances exchanged.

"My parents & sibs are **SO** gonna freak big time when they hear about this!" Fin muttered. "Girls, Broseph, dive down and take off your necklaces." Fin told them. "Get ready for the surprise of your lives." They did as she told them, resulting in a few flashes in the water, confusing them further. Then the girls resurfaced, jumping in a somersault, them resurfacing. The humans' eyes popped open and dropped their jaws in shock & disbelief at what they just witnessed. Reef, slightly less so.

"Mates, are you _seeing_ this?" Ripper asked in shock.

"I'm seein', but I'm not _believin_'!" Lance blabbed.

"I can't believe we made friends with, with-" Kenny said trying to say the last word in her sentence.

"Okay, Kenny, yes, we're mermaids." Fin told her casually.

"You mean, I got a crush on a pink-haired mermaid?" Lance blurted out, grabbing Kaycee's attention, causing them both to blush deeply- and her fingerscales to turn bright pink.

"You mean to tell me, I've fallen head over heels in love with a pink-tailed, mahogony-ponytailed fish?" blabbed Johnny. Emma was shocked with what she just heard.

"You were... you were trying to tell me your feelings... _for me_? And I never noticed or understood it?" Emma asked Johnny in disbelief. "I am so sorry Johnny, I had no idea."

"And I can't believe Ty has fallen for Jess, and she never noticed?" Lo said in shock. Jess's eyes widened in shock from what she just heard, and the only reply she could think of saying was _**"WHAT?"**_

"And George has a crush on a mermaid his age, with pigtails too?" Lo added, causing Roxxie, who she reffered to, to blush. Then Roxxie noticed Broseph hadn't resufaced yet. The humans noticed this, too.

"Um, where's Broseph?" asked Roxxie.

As if on cue, Broseph resurfaced and hauled himself back onto shore, but he gave the humans got the shock of their lives.

"He's a-" Reef lives, eyes wide open and jaws dropped!

"Dude's a-" Johhny blabbed. Lo, however, was the most flabbergasted of all.

"You're a- You're a- You're a-" Lo stammered.

"Yes, Lo, my big secret is... I'm a merman." Broseph confessed. It was true. Broseph was in fact a merman. An actual _merman_! He had webbing, arms fins, and a tail like the mermaids, only his were all white.

"So we made friends with a merman _for the past six years?_" Johnny blurted out.

"And we share our room with one _in the staff house_?" Reef blabbed.

"I can't believe Lo fell in love _with a fish!_" Ripper & Kenny said in shock unison.

"You mean to tell me tha-that I was **dating** a _**merman**_ for the past _four weeks?_ And-and-and I actually _**kissed**_ one?" Lo exclaimed in disbelief. The mermaids turned their faces to Broseph in disbelief.

"You're _dating_ a _human_?" The mermaids asked as Broseph lt out a nervous laugh.

"You're breakling the third law for falling in love with a human!" Jess blurted out.

"Oh, pfft, that law is _ancient_. You can do so, just as long as you don't let that human know you're a mer-person..." Broseph retorted smoothly. "... which, of course, is kind of compromised right about now." He added as he turned to Lo, who was still in shock from seeing his true form.

"Uh, Lo, would this make you feel any better?" Broseph as he opend his webbed hand to show... a decent-sized pearl in his palm. Lo couldn't believe she was offered a pearl as token of forgiveness. No boy had even gone through so much trouble to please her.

"Oh, how could I stay mad at you?" Lo asked him as she accepted and took the pearl, not bothering to ask how or where under the sea he got it & returned so quickly.

"Lo, do you remember the day we met, after I got you out of that strong undertow?" asked Broseph.

"Yeah. What about it?" Lo asked.

"Well, thing is, we merfolk can swim through currents like undertows more easily than humans can and we're stronger swimmers, too." Broseph stated. Then Lo's eyes widened in realization as to what he was talking about.

_**FLASHBACK**_

_**SIX YEARS AGO**_

_Nine-year-old Lo and her family had just set foot on the beach. Lo, in her lilac one-piece bathing suit, was walking causually onto the sand. Eleven-year-old Ty, in his khaki green shorts, was keeping an eye on her & six-year-old Geroge, in pale blue swimtrunks, while their mother set up her tanning spot. Their father was carrying a couple practice surfboards rented for Lo & Ty. Then Lo placed a hand to her brow, looked out to the ocean, squinted her eyes a bit, and noticed something... or rather, someone._

_"Hey, who's that in the surf? He's really good." Lo said. Ty, George, Nancy & Archimedes looked out in Lo's direction. What they saw was... a small boy, close to Lo's age, yet slightly older, surfing as skillfully as a child could. They stared in awe at this child, Lo especially. As far as they could tell from a distance, his skin was brown, had blond hair, and wore white swimtrunks and was on a white, plain five-foot surfboard._

_"Have you seen him before? Because I haven't." Ty said to his mother in wonder._

_"No, I don't think so. Whoever he is, he's a good surfer already." Ms. Ridgemount said. Then they noticed Lo was already at the tide, no doubt eagerly wanting to meet that boy. She may already be a decent swimmer & surfer, but she had no idea what she was walking into..._

_Concerned for his sister's safety, Ty ran for the water to pick Lo up from the shore, but before he could get within a few feet of her, Lo, who was already a couple meters into the water, felt some tug around her ankle. She started to turn back for the shore, but then felt a strong tug by something, and the more she struggled to reach the chore, the further she was pulled... further out to sea! Unbeknownst to the Ridgemounts, the boy noticed this from afar went surfed to their area as fast as he could._

_Lo's family, horrified by what just transpired, rushed to the shore, but Lo was already twenty feet away and underwater, distressed but powerless. Even the big, strong Archimedes Ridgemount can't fight against the undertows- the currents were far too strong, even for him. They were uncertain they they could do..._

_Then Ty noticed the white board the boy was surfing on was closer to their location, but the boy who used was nowhere to be seen. It didn't take long for the others to notice that. How did he get from the wave to shore so fast? And where WAS he right now?_

_Lo was struggling to to get away from whatever it was that was pulling her further out to sea. She was going further and further from shore and deep and deeper into the water. To add more to the tension, Lo was starting to run low on air, to the point of beginning to lose conciousness!_

_The last thing Lo saw was a blurry figure she couldn't make out approaching from the light blue above before she blacked out._

_A few precious seconds later, someone surfaced and clambered onto the rocks... with Lo in his arms! The Ridgemount family noticed that and ran to their location._

_The blond boy pressed his hands on Lo's heart in an attempt to jumpstart it in order to save her. Which worked, much to his relief. Lo coughed & gagged up some seawater that got into her lungs, and gasped for air, and coughed a bit more, just before she heard the best voice she had ever heard._

_"You okay, girl?" A voice asked in a Carribean accent. Her eyes were still stinging from the seawater, blurring vision shortly, but she managed to make out a face looking down at him, particularly one feature- his charming brown eyes. Once her eyesight cleared, she could see his face more clearly- his blond afro hair, his humbly-made coconut-bead necklace._

_"Hello." Lo uttered weakly._

_"Hello yourself." The Carribean boy replied back. Then her family showed up. And the were relieved to see Lo still alive. Lo, her parents and her brothers thanked the boy for his rescue effort and were eternally grateful, Lo especially._

_"I didn't get your name, by the way. I'm Lauren Ridgemount, but I'm starting to go by Lo." She introduced herself._

_"Broseph. Broseph... Brown." He told her. Then her family introduced themselves._

_"So, you feeling better?" asked Broseph._

_"I am now that you're here." was Lo's reply. For Lo & Broseph, this was love at first sight. And so they had been together & bonded since._

_END OF FLASHBACK_

"_**Of course!**_ I always wondered how you could swim through an undertow and carry someone back to shore without struggling. My fam & I have always pondered on that for the past six years. It all makes sense now! But why all the secrecy?" Lo said to Broseph.

"Merfolk law states that no human should know you're a mer-person. Or that you shouldn't fall in love with a human who knows your secret." Broseph explained.

"Also, this clearly confirms my suspicions about these girls." Broseph added. "Their use of ocean-themed lingo, the splashdown Fin challenged Reef to."

"And their unfamiliarity with things like insurance. Or dating, for that matter." Lo pointed out. Emma let out a nervous laugh.

"I just _knew_ there was something fishy about you girls and the Brown brothers the moment we met you all." Kenny blurted out. "I just didn't expect _this_."

"Oh, and by the way, Lo, my real last name is Chelonia." Broseph confessed to her. This shocked the humans, especially Lo. "Mom, Grommet & I members of the Sea Turtle Clan, and we have the marks to prove it. You know, the ones that look like tattoos." Then they explained the same things to their fellow humans that Fin did to Reef. They even explained that they used human last names for cover while among humans. They were even flabbergasted when Fin & Reef confessed that Fin was a princess and her parents were the king & queen of the oceans and that Reef was in love with a mermaid princess!

To the mermaids & merman's surprise & relief, their follow humans promised to not to reveal their existence to humankind, considering all the good they had done for them so far.

"Kahuna was an old friend of my dad. My father used to tell me stories of merfolk when I was little. I just never saw any actual merfolk until now." Kendra added. "I'm willing to help Kahuna protect your fishy secret." Those words gave the mer-people a relief.

"I'll join you on this. I'd do anything for you, Emma." said Johnny. Emma beamed at this comment, blushing deeply as did her fingerscales. Finally, for the time since they met, Emma has noticed and even understood Johnny's message.

"As will I, but in my case, I'm doing it for Broseph's sake." Lo said.  
"Really?" Broseph inquired.  
"For as long as I can, my love." Lo told him. And with that, Lo & Broseph, along with Johnny & Emma, smacked lips, for the first time in the latter's case.

"Ugh, will you four just get a room?" Their friends, human & mer-person alike said in respose to this sight, evidently annoyed, even Reef & Fin. Good luck hiding that mer-secret from your fellow humans. They were _SO _gonna need it!

**WOW! Sure didn't see _THAT_ comin', did ya? The suspicions on Broseph come to light at last in a way nobody expected! And Emma FINALLY understood Johnny's message. Feel free to give reviews on your reactions to Broseph as a merman, y'all.**


	12. Tension at the Pool

Start: 12-5-10 Finish: 12-30-10

**Finally, an update! Sorry it took so long.**

**Constance Faye Dyer: I understand. I had to deal with the Christmas stuff myself. And chill, I'm continuin' the story. I just gotta work on what happens next in the next chapters is all. Surely you understand that.**

**Whoanessness: Their secrets are bound to come to light sooner or later. The merfolk'll try to blend in for just a little longer, just with a little human support. And don't worry, this story's gonna continue. I've planned on doin' a few more chapters of it, anyway.**

**Brace yourselves, y'all. You in for a couple surpirises...**

**Chapter 12: Tension at the Pool**

* * *

The mermaids -and Broseph- hauled themselves out of the water. In a matter of seconds after putting their necklaces back on, they regained their dressed human forms.

Then Ripper asked Kendra a question that stoked her.

"So Kenny, I was wondering, see, since the Beach Bash is coming up this week, I was hoping you'd, uh... will you go to the Summer Beach Bash with me?" Ripper asked her. Kenny's face lit up at the sound of the question. Ripper had been trying to find the nerve to ask out for weeks, and he finally got it.

"Yes, yes, and _**yes**_, I will go out with you!" Kenny exclaimed with excitement in her voice as she hugged Ripper tightly, almost choking him briefly before letting go. The others were pleasantly surprised by this.

"Uh, Kaycee..." Lance uttered. Kaycee set her attention on him. Lance took a deep breath and went ahead with what he had hoped to say to Kaycee.  
"Look, I'm not sure if you understand this whole dating thing now, but... would you like to go out with me to the party this week? Look, I don't care if you're a human or a mermaid, I just like ya for who you are. In fact,..." Lance took a deep breath. "I love you, Kaycee. Scales & all. I always have ever since we first met." Kaycee was downright stunned at what she just heard. So were the others.

"I... I don't know what to say." Kaycee managed to say. "Except..." Lance gazed upon her intently. "of course I would love to go with you!" Kaycee squealed as she hugged Lance firmly, right before kissing him, which thrilled Lance, even though he was just kissed by a mermaid, and a willing one at that! He & Johnny were **_SO _**out of the friend and single zones at last! Ripper & Kenny cheered for Lance in that he finally he finally got his dream gal.

"You see, Lance? What did we tell you?" Ripper inquired encouragingly.  
"_Et tu_, Kaycee?" Roxxie & Jess asked in an annoyed tone. Then Jess turned to Emma, who now had her head rested on Johnny's shoulder.

"So I guess this mean you're not focused on getting with Ty anymore?" Johnny inquired.  
"As of now, not anymore." Emma answered. This was music to Johnny's ears.  
"New question: Would you like to go to the beach party? With me?" Johnny asked. At the sound of that question, Emma lifted her head and looked into his eyes intently.  
"Yes, yes, _**YES**_, I will go out with you to the party this week, Johnny!" Emma replied and kissed the concierge again. That _really _made Johnny's day.

"You girls do realize King & Queen Requin aren't going to approve of this when they hear about it, right?" Jess pointed out. The mermaids & Broseph frowned in admitting so, indicated by their fingerscales in indigo.

"You have a good point, Jess." Fin admitted. "But I'd rather you let me explain this to my parents. After all, I did spill the shells, or as the humans would put it, spill the beans."

"Fair enough." Jess agreed. "But I refuse to show my secret to Ty unless I absolutely have to. Clear?" Jess insisted sternly.

"Crystal." her fellow merfolk & humans replied.

* * *

**FIVE DAYS LATER**

"This time I'm _sure _I've got it!" Amber called out. She was working on how to crash the Ridgemount's party at the height of their glory. For the past four weeks and five days since the surf competition, she had been off her game lately. Good news for Surfer's Paradise so far. This was **largely **due to her desire to defeat Fin bordering on _obsession_.

"That'sss what you sssaid two weeksss ago, and we were sssore for a week." Betty complained. "Ssso, what'sss your plan thisss time?"

"We still have the last byatis in existence to call upon. We could unleash it on the suspecting party, send the partygoers running in terror, and put the Ridgemounts out of business. What do you think?" Amber suggested.

"But wouldn't everybody sssee it coming a mile away? It doesssn't have camoflauge, you know. And it'sss pretty big" Tuna pointed out. Amber bitterly admitted he had a good point.

"Oh, what's the use?" Amber howled in frustration. "It's just too high-profile and I haven't even figured out where the beach bash is gonna take place!"

"I bet Ursssula coulda done that." Tuna whispered to his girfriend. Unluckily for him, Amber caught wind of his comment, and perked up, then slowly turned to face him.

"_**What**. Was. That. You. Just. **Said**?_" Amber hissed in agitation, eyes narrowed on Tuna.

"Nothin'." Tuna retorted, hands held up defensively. "We're jussst sssayin'- woah!" He and Betty suddenly ducked as a dried, stuffed porcupine fish flew past them and stuck its spines into a wall.

"**Don't you dare _criticise _me**!" Amber yelled out. "All mother & father ever did was criticise me." She picked up what appeared to be a few mako teeth.  
"With them, it was either 'Ursula this,' 'Ursula that,' or 'Our dear Amber Green, why can't you be more like _**URSULA**_?'" Amber shouted as she threw the teeth like darts at Tuna & Betty, who ducked again, leaving the teeth to hit a tacked-in-place picture of what looked like some overweight humanoid resembling Cthulhu on Amber's surfboard, but with a purple hide, black wings, a white-ish forehead and what appeared to be oily, matted white 'hair', and green eyes like Amber's, but paler.

"Well, it'sss not our fault we lossst in the contessst." Tuna complained. "It wasss thossse four new girlsss and that pretty boy in black. They were harder to hit than the othersss."

"_**EXCUSES**_!" Screamed Amber. Tuna & Betty crouched & trembled defensively. Then she walked to a wall looked to see if the coast was clear, which it was, and pulled it open, revealing a secret passage.

"Tuna, Betty, _come_." Amber ordered. The couple followed her. Then Amber pulled the wall shut and walked down the hall. The passageway was stony, cave-like and eerily empty with only a bright light and a door at the end. Amber opened it and walked in, followed by Tuna & Betty.

At the end was a big cave for a room with a few holes in the walls showing they were underwater along with a couple holes in the floor, a set of monitors along a side, a Cthulhu-themed cabinet, a large pool of water in a corner, and a giant crystal ball in the center. This was, in fact, the same room used by their boss, the man in the shadows. This was in fact the inside of Cthulhu's Grotto.

"Are you sure he'd want usss here without hisss permission?" asked Tuna. "Thisss isss hisss headquartersss."  
"Well, he ain't here, now, is he?" Amber inquired. "You might wanna hold your breaths." Tuna & Betty's eyes widened in shock as they figured what he she meant and then took a deep breath.

* * *

Lo & Broseph were in the pool area of the penthouse. From the accomplishents she managed to pull off that pleased her father, he was decently impressed and allowed her back in, with the condition of taking Broseph & Jess with her, which, given his gratitude for his rescue effort six years ago and the support he had given her since, along with Jess's sense of responsibility and friendly nature, he approved.

Broseph was now swimming around in the pool, while Lo was sitting on the rim and Jess was floating from the waist up in a corner, watching over them_ in mermaid form_. Lo had fully accepted that her boyfriend turned out to be a merman, but kept her promise to keep his mer-existence a secret. Too bad it wasn't going to last forever, because she was unaware her family came back to the penthouse, and heading to their area! Ty opened the door without getting their attention and saw them having a good time, his sister & Jess especially. Then he noticed Jess wasn't wearing her necklace like she usually was, but before he could utter a word, he heard Jess's conversation with Lo.

"So, let me get this straight. Ty's had a thing for me?" Jess inquired.  
"Ever since he first met you." Lo answered.  
"It's just that, I can't believe that he was trying to win my affections and I was totally blind to it for _the past month_!" Jess exclaimed.  
"You certainly got his attention without even trying or knowing, and I was totally surprised with that." Lo said.  
"Now I understand what the fumbling was about. And now, I can't believe I'm feeling affectionate about your big brother. Ever since my realization, my heart pounds at the very sight of him, especially his well-toned muscles, his coppery hair... his deep, lovely, sensitive eyes... his calm, well-meaning voice..." Jess trailed off happily.

"Uh, Jess, you realize you're droolling over my brother, right?" asked Lo. Jess snapped out of it, and realized something.  
"But then there's that stupid mer-law!" Jess said in frustration.  
"Only if he knows if you're a mermaid." Broseph said. Ty anonomously gave them a puzzled glance at Broseph's comment.  
"Yeah, that's comforting. Kind of." Jess stated.  
"You're torn that Ty's in love with you?" Lo asked.  
"That and the fact that I'm finally in love with Ty!" Jess exclaimed. Those words cheered him up greatly. Then his face changed to concern for Jess.  
"I've never had any luck getting my dream guy back home at the Kingdom of Paradise Reef!" Jess stated. "But here, that's changed. So it turns out my lover's a human. I sure never saw this coming." Ty was baffled by her words in that she used 'my lover's a human' in her sentence and baffled him as to what she meant.

"Well, this is no longer a problem between me & Lo." Broseph stated. Then Ty watched as Broseph did a somersault in the pool... as a merman! Ty's eyes popped open and his jaw dropped at the sight. He couldn't believe that a merman was among them for the past six years!

"That was great, Broseph!" Lo exclaimed enthusiasticly as she clapped her hands and then asked, "Can you do that again, this time with a ball?" Broseph swam up to up and they smooched again, unknowingly in front of Ty!

"I'll give it a shot, my dear." Broseph replied.  
"Great. Wait here. I'll get the ball for you." Lo told him. With that, she got up, turned around, and walked off to get a beach ball while Broseph floated by in waiting. Jess mumbled "Show-off."

Nancy & Archimedes, followed by George, curious why Ty's standing there and what their son was staring at that shocked him, came into the pool room... and saw the trio having fun in the pool, minus the exposure of their mer-tails.

"Hey Broseph, here's the ball I promised." Lo called out. She tossed it over to Broseph, who leapt clear out of the water and smacked the ball with his tail, sending it into the pool's goal with pro accuracy. Mr. & Ms. Ridgmount and George let out a gasp of shock, grabbing Jess, Lo & Broseph's attention, catching them off guard.

_'Uh-oh'_ Broseph, Lo & Jess thought. There was now heavy tension in the air. Lo gulped at the reality of the situation they were in right now and let out a nervous laugh.

"Ty, before you and your folks run off, at least give us a chance to explain." Jess cautiously told them, holding up her webbed hands defensively, the sight of which freaked out the parents and their sons, Ty especially.

"Lauren, how long have you known that Broseph was a merman?" asked Mr Ridgemount.  
"At least five days ago, at the cove of The Office." answered an apprehensive Lo.  
_**"YOU MEAN YOU'VE BEEN KEEPING SECRETS FROM US ALL THIS TIME?"**_ Archimedes bellowed at the top of his lungs.  
"And you kept us in the dark about this the whole time? _Not fly, girlfriend!_" Ms. Ridgemount inquired in disbelief.  
"Like you would have believed me if told you about this. You would've thought I was crazy if I said 'Hey daddy, mom, guess what, my boyfriend's a merman.' I mean, come on, who's gonna believe that?" Lo explained.

"You know, you just made a valid point there." Mr. Ridgemount admitted as he simmered down. "We're just in shock from seeing actual mer-people and knowing you kept a big secret from us."  
"And _I _can't believe my sister's been making out with a _fish_!" Ty exclaimed, still recovering from the shock from the aforementioned sight.  
"Or the fact that you're currently _dating _one!" Nancy Ridgemount put in. Lo rubbed the back of her neck as she laughed nervously.

"Ty..." Jess called to him. Ty turned his attention to her. "There's something a part of me now wants to show you..." Jess reluctantly swam to the rim of the pool, then lifted herself out of the water to show Ty her tail, which flabbergasted Archimedes, Nancy, and Geroge, and _especially _Ty.

"I can't believe it!" Ty exclaimed. "You mean to tell me I've been trying to win the heart of a mermaid!" Jess nodded. There was an awkward silence for a few moments before Ms. Ridgemount broke it.

"Sooo... what do we do with this situation?" Ms. Ridgemount wondered aloud.

"Well, I'm thinking ..." Riddgmount assumed, provoking worry in Lo and especially Broseph & Jess. Starting to panic about what he was about to say, Lo ran up to her father, dropped to her knees and begged, hands clasped.

"Please, please, _please _Daddy, don't send them away to some freak show! _**Especially **_not Broseph! They're people, too! I beg of you, **_PRETTY PLEASE _**don't take him away! Daddy, _I love him_!" Lo blurted out before clasping her hands over her mouth from what she just said. Her parents and brothers were shocked, jaws dropped, that she confessed she was in love with a _merman_!

"Suddenly, I feel like I'm living in that 'Little Mermaid' fairy tale." Ms. Ridgemount managed to say, still in shock form her daughter's words.

"Well, I was gonna give them an interrogation instead of sending them away somewhere, but given that Broseph's the reason you're still here alive and well, and he had always been there for you for the past six years, I suppose we'll just try to keep your secret safe for as long as we can." Mr. Ridgemount told Lo. Lo's face lit up.

"You mean that?" Lo inquired, face starting to beam with hope.

"Yes, we mean it." answered Mr. Ridgemount. Lo, Broseph, and Jess let out a sigh of relief.  
"We have a question, though: Why all the secrecy?" Ms. Nancy Ridgemount asked in wonder. Broseph and Jess explained that disrection was the merfolk way of life, as they felt humans weren't quite prepared for a world they believed was myth, especially considering how destructive and violent humans can be. Mr. Ridgemount admitted they had a good point, but assured them humans weren't all bad, which Jess agreed on as well. The mer-people also explained their marks, their aversion to violence, and of course, the laws involving interactions with humans.

"Sooo, Jess," Ty started to say, getting Jess's attention. "There's this party coming this week and I was hoping you'd go with me. You in?" Jess couldn't believe what she hearing. Her answer was "I-I think... yes, I accept." Ty grinned greatly at the sound of that.  
"So, this doesn't bother you?" asked Ms. Ridgemount.  
"What?" Ty inquired.  
"The fact that you just asked a mermaid out." Ms. Ridgemount pointed out.  
"So? I don't care if Jess is a human or a mermaid. Mer-law or no mer-law, I'm taking her to the party." Ty insisted.  
"And there's _nothing _your father and I can say or do to change your mind?" Ms. Ridgemount asked.  
"Nope." Ty answered confidently. "So, Jess, what do you say we start with knowing each other first? Our interests, likes, dislikes, stuff like that."  
"Love to." Jess replied.  
"First, why did you and your merfriends come here in the first place?" Ty asked out of curiosity.

* * *

All of a sudden, the room was flooded with seawater. Then something _**freaky **_happened. The trio willingly transformed.

Betty & Tuna's hair _retracted _into the heads, their necks grew slightly longer, their ring & pinky fingers retracted into their hands, leaving just three fingers, thumbs included, all of which sprouted dark gray claws. Webbing emerged from between their fingers. And then a long, sinuous tail with paddle-like end appeared, growing big & strong enough to hold their torsos up without legs, which retracted back into their hips, their heads lengthened, reptilian scales grow over their skins, and their eyes turned yellow and their pupils grew into vertical slits.

Betty's form became yellow with black stripes, snake tattoo -or rather mark, as it turned out- still present on her left hand, while Tuna's turned a bronze-ish color above and a creamy white below, and grew a hood that fanned out of his neck from head to shoulder, cobra mark still shown on his chest.

But Amber changed most of all. Her pupils lengthened horizonatlly, eyes brighter, her skin turned a sickly green, her nails grew slightly longer, more pointed, and turned black. Then one-foot black tentacles, four on each side, formed around her mouth, where her teeth become sharp points, her hair become oily and matted, even started writhing like they were alive. And Amber even grew eight tentacles from the waist down, also black but six feet long with teeth-lined suckers and even hooks along . Where legs used to be, there were now longer grabbing tentacles, like a squid's. She now had what looked like a black dress stopping just below the shoulders, with an urchin-sheel top. Amber even _sprouted _a pair of big, bat-like wings out of her back. Her mark was still present on her belly, now with a pale outlining along the black tentacles of her mark.

Tuna & Betty were sea nagas, a race of humanoid snakes that specialized in sea life, hence the hissing in their speech. They used to be enemies of merfolk and even humans, but centuries of living alongside and even among merfolk improved their views of merfolk over the centuries, also encouraged by the need to band together to fight Cthulhu's forces of darkness. Nowadays, sea nagas were wise, humble and seclusive hunter-gatherer tribes that try to avoid contact with humans but interact and get along fine with merfolk. However, there were still some bad sea cucumbers (the oceanic term for 'bad apples') among the nagas. Tuna and Betty were among those bad sea cucumbers.

There were different types of naga. Betty was a krait naga, whereas Tuna was a water cobra naga. Still, like all nagas, they still hated & feared starspawn, which, as it turned out, was Amber's species, albeit more cephalopod-like in her case. Tuna & Betty trembled in her presence. There used to be loads more starspawn, but not anymore. Amber was the last of her kind. The starspawn were a race of evil, insane, slavedriving humanoids that, like their long-dead god Cthulhu, were a menace to the balance of life, to civilization, to everyone they encountered and everything good, and as a result, merfolk, sea naga and even human alike joined forces and exterminated these unholy horrors and even their works in the distant past, to the point of reducing them to myth. Well, almost.

"Ah, how I missed this beautiful form." Amber vainly said to herself. The sea naga duo trembled in her presence more than before due to her now-revealed ugliness. This was the reason and cause of those vibes of suspicion and discomfort in her aura and also what creeped out whole crowds of people, along with Reef's instinct to reject every single time, even though he never knew or even suspected this.

"Now, then, do you two serpents have any better ideas you'd like to share?"  
"Well," Betty started. "I heard the beach bash wasss going to take placcce on shore with a lagoon and their now-repaired ship nearby."  
"Ah, excellent. Now, how to crash the party there. So many methods to choose." Amber pondered. Then Amber called out "**Flostam, Jetsam!**" Two long, sinuous shapes emerged from the hole in the floor. They were eels, but these were not normal morays.

They were twenty-foot-long thulhu eels- also the last in existence. They were dark green with yellow stripes & fins, yellow eyes gleaming with a cold, semi-sentient intelligence, one of which glowed more brightly then the other (Flostam's right eye and Jetsam's left eye). Their snouts had four four-foot tentacles along each side of the upper & lower jaws, for a total of eight. Their mouths were full of needle-sharp teeth, another set of which was set in its throat. They had muscle blocks in their tentacle tips, torsos & tails that produced electricity for navigation, offense & defense. These unnatural sea horrors were in fact, the cause of the suspected 'bail-outs' at the contest, the thing Reef's surfboard hit, and what pulled Kelly down.

"How are my little poopsies doing today?" Amber asked them, petting Flostam's snout and Jetsam's forehead. The sea naga couple shuddered from the sight and presence of Amber's pets.

"Wee'rre juusst fiinne." The eels replied in sly, sneaky tones as they slithered about.  
"What taassk do you haave for uss?"

"Good, because I've got a new, big plan, and it's including you two, the byatis, and even our biggest 'pet'." Amber announced. Tuna & Betty widened their unblinking eyes in shock at what Amber meant by their 'biggest pet'.

"_**What?**_" They reptilian couple exclaimed.  
"You **cannot **be ssseriousss! That thing'sss _immensssely _powerful and gargantuan! If that thing breaksss free-" Betty protested before Amber cut her off.  
"Relax. It's mind-controlled. As long as we have this," Amber commented, one of her tentacles holding what looked like a reddish crown fashioned after an octopus in the tines and a squid in the bottom rim with blank, glowing pale orange-ish 'eyes' on the sides. " and the reciever's embedded in its head, it'll just do our bidding. Besides, it'd take a good deal of force or precision to remove the neural-control reciever from its thick hide, especially without killing it."

"Well, it'sss not like we know of anything elssse ssstrong enough do that, anyway." Betty admitted.  
"Then we give them a literal sinking feeling. We'll give the Ridgemounts, and those possible mer-girls a party they'll never forget! One with fear and chaos at the peak of their glory! I'll soon dominate the seven sea by the end of the summer, and I'll have my race revived and the city of R'lyeh back to their former glory, with Cthulhu's power coursing through my veins! And no one, human or mer-person, is going to stop me!" Amber tacked on, cackling like crazy afterwards, joined in by her thulhu eel partners. The sea naga couple trembled and the gadren of sea worms cowered in in her presence. Amber was already insane, but now she was losing more of what sanity she ever had to begin with!

* * *

**Holy moly! Didn't expect _THAT _from the minion trio now, did y'all? The Thulhu eels I came up with, so for all it's worth, I think it's safe to say they're my creation.**

**And Lance finally has a date with Kaycee, and Ripper and Kenny, and Johnny with Emma. Congrats to 'em! And Ty actually asked Jess out as well! But what about Reef & Fin? Will they kiss? Will they go datin' as well?**

**So, now the Ridgemounts know of Broseph and Jess's secret. How is this going work out for them all? How much longer will it last before someone else discovers their fishy secret? What's Amber's connection to this Ursula (seriously, no spoilers on this one)? How will shehave her dead god's power and revive her abominable race & city? Is Amber just an evil knight or the real mastermind of this operation (see previous)? And what is a byatis, and what's this 'biggest pet' Amber reffered to (no spoilers, seriously)?**

**The Ursula in this story will only be mentioned, _not _featured.**

**Oh, and to Cullens of Death Metal, you guessed right as to their connection to Cthulhu's Grotto.**

**Y'all are welcome review your thoughts on Tuna, Betty, and Amber's true forms, along with my thulhu eels, in this story as well. I thought it be nice to name the eels after a certain eel duo, thus their names. Just no flames, a'ight?**


	13. Attack of the Sea Monsters

Start: 12-25-10  
Finish: 2-13-11

**Sorry for the late update. Had my hands full. Work at my father's auto-shop and all that. And, of course plannin' how the chapters go. Surely you understand.**

**Stoked Fan: Great to know ya loved it. 'Nuff said.**

**WhazzupPeeps: I've no arguments on all the above, dude.**

**The Cullens of Death Metal: Yup, that ya certainly are. I think that word puzzle's a no-brainer as te answer, but I'm still nottellin' 'til we get there. Very wtty, the way ya described the starspawn in my story. Nice work. Glad I surpirsed ya in a good way. Didn't expect the quote, though.**

**I thank ya for the compliment on my thuluhu eels, btw.**

**And I didn't expect ya to mentin those folks or the NCIS, but ya did put up a valid point there. And I appreciate that, seriously. And rest assured, Kelly, David and Bummer'll recieve a surprise and David'll reveal his secret to Kelly soon enough...**

**CITPrincess101: Glad ya likd it. 'Nuff said.**

**Chapter 13: Attack of the Sea Monsters**

* * *

So far, the public was still unaware there there merfolk among them, but this secrecy won't last forever. Kelly was still suspicous about the 'Johnsonbaugh' sisters ever since she heard their true last name 'Krakenove'. Fortunately, David's company mostly kept her busy. And because of him, Kelly's attitude improved significantly. She wasn't as snobby or bossy as she used to be. And Kelly actually found this to her liking. Kelly had nicer and more accepting than before, much to the groms' relief.

Johnny and Emma were finally spending time together, her head rested on his shoulder in affection. Broseph and Lo's bond was now stronger than ever while Ty and Jess finally familiarized themselves with each other, thanks to their parents' approval after seeing their true forms.

Jess told Ty (no secrecy this time) that she liked to play guitar, the piano, and the drums, which Ty approved of and was eager to see. and also surfing, which came naturally, given her affinity for the water, singing, the summer, shopping (thus her eagerness to do so with Lo a few weeks ago). Jess also added that she doesn't like thunderstorms, tourists, peanut butter (for some reason, she just couldn't stand the taste), and, for some reason, romantic movies. Ty couldn't help but agree with Jess on her dislikes. Ty told her about his hobby of making surf videos. She found a little interesting since it wasn't everyday Jess met someone with a hobby like that. Then again, it wasn't everyday Jess had ever dated a human. She already explained to Ty and his family that she was advisor for the king and queen, that she worked as a tutor for Fin and Emma on all things human, that she, Emma, Fin, and Kaycee and Roxxie were sent here for Fin's rite of passage to adulthood for the summer, and that she had normally watched over Fin and Emma since they mer-children. Ty found all this impressive, much to her surprise. She even added that she had a dislike for humans because of how destructive and violent they were, which Ty agreed on yet pointed out he never fit that decription, which Jess already knew and understood.

George and Roxxie were getting along more and more, much to Grommet's surprise, even though she was understandably steamed at his sister for revealing their secret to her parents, especially when she mentioned to them that she, Kaycee, Fin, and Emma, were mermaids when her family saw them. She soon understood that Lo, Broseph, and Jess had no choice, so she reluctantly removed her necklace and showed them her mer-form, which Grommet said confirmed his suspicions about her. Grommet then did the same, which surprised George to the core that he had been best friends with a mer-boy for the past six years, but found it very cool and even promises not to expose them to the public, much to their relief. After all, who would believe a kid if he said he saw a mermaid, or that his best friend for six years was a merboy?

Lance and Kaycee started dating, as did Ripper and Kenny, hand in hand. The Australian dude and the Hawaiian dudette were suitably pleased and happy that Lance finally got his dream girl, despite the fact that his was a mermaid. Lance and Kaycee were getting to know each other more and more, arm in arm. Kaycee told Lance that back home on the reef, she worked at the stables and worked regualrly with sharks, dolphins, even whales. Lance found it interesting.

Lance learned from Kaycee that she, like him, liked surfing (even though she and her sister hadn't done so often until this summer), scary movies (much to his surprise), Roxxie (whose secret she became more protective of than ever), drawing cartoons whenever she got a chance, paranormal stuff, stickers -hence those on her surfboard-, all thing Total Drama Island, which grew a liking to during her time among humans (much to Lance's amazement), all animals despite not being a vegetartian, Spongebob (also from her time among humans), and most of all now, Lance himself, which got his heart all aflutter.

Lance explained that he liked playing on his PSP from time to time, which was relatively unfamiliar to Kaycee and had to be exlpained in the simplest way he could. He also mentioned he used to hang out with Ripper until Kenny came along, and always felt lonely without a girl until Kaycee herself came along. Lance also added that doesn't do well under pressure.

Kaycee also explained her dislikes of vantriloquist dummies as she felt like they were watching her, wierd noises, mean, rude people (like Amber), and corn dogs.

Roxxie, on the other hand, told George about her dislikes of cooking, chores, and scary movies, and that she liked English muffins (which George liked himself), anything technology-related (hobby of hers from the human world), tricking people (George got along well with this one), wrestling, email hacking, meat, T.V. (something to her liking from the human world), the paranormal, music, and chick flicks (this George was a little uneasy with), and even that she had a little crush on George, which Lo blurted out. George blushed at this fact and admitted he had feelings for her, albeit reluctantly.

Roxxie even added that she loved to go along on Fin and Emma's adventures without protest, but often got in trouble because of her temper. Surprisingly, her temper kept George in line, much to Lo's surprise and relief, but at least they were getting along rather well these days.

* * *

The human-mermaid couples were hanging out on the harbor, having a good time, getting to know each other some more. Reef was with Fin nowadays, far longer than with any other any other girl before her. Everyone at the resort, guest and staff alike, noticed this and spread the word on hoping they hooked up, especially their friends, much to the couple-to-be's annoyance. Even Reef's mother joined in and frequenetly -no, constantly- embarassing her son and cramping his style, even though she still felt suspicious about Fin's origins.

Kelly couldn't help but wonder why David kept leaving on short notice every time his phone rang. He always said something about some disturbances and investigating them before leaving. Kelly just had to ask him what these disturbances were. David, on the other hand, had been trying to tell Kelly his secret when he had the chance. Kelly's curiousity increased two-fold.

"David, there's something I couldn't help but wonder." Kelly said aloud.  
"And what's that?" David asked curiously.  
"This secret you trying to tell me- what is it?" Kelly inquired. "You keep leaving on that subject every time your phone rings. What's up with that?"

"Well, I've been trying to tell you something all summer. You see, the thing is-" David started, but was soon cut off by a loud disturbing sound- of creaking, splintering wood, a monstrous roar and people screaming in terror, all of which was getting louder.

"What's going on? What was that?" Kelly asked in worry.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out. Come on!" David instisted. They ran off to the source of the racket. Lo and Broseph followed suit, as did Kenny, Ripper, Lance, and Kaycee. They came near the doorway leading to the outside, where people came scrambling in, screaming about a hideous sea monster aboard the ship, accompanied by some _giant tentacles_.

Kelly and David were baffled by they were screaming about. David, Broseph, and Kaycee, had a more horrified look on their face. It was as if they knew what that roar belonged to.

"It can't be..." David whispered.

They bolted out to see what it was, which confirmed the suspicions of the merfolk- and David. Their fellow humans followed. What they saw **_horrified _**them beyond belief.

"For the love of Kauhulu, what _is _that thing?" Kendra asked in shock.

On he harbor was a horrific green and brown monster. The sea monster was at least six feet tall and about twenty feet long. It had one blank eye like a cyclops, five-foot long claws like a crab, a six-foot trunk like an elephant, a beard of tentacle-like growths under its head, a thick, exoskeletal carapace, eight, crab-like legs, and a clubbed tail.

"That's a byatis!" David announced.

"You know that thing?" Kelly asked him incredulously.  
"Know it? I barely survived an encounter with one." David explained.  
"You mean there's more of them?" asked Lance.

"We thought they were slain into extinction centuries ago!" Kaycee added.

"And it's not alone!" Ripper shouted in shock, pointing out to the sea. The others looked in the direction Ripper was pointing, and what they saw shocked them further.

Beyond the deck vertically writhing were huge tentacles. They were reddish in color, looked like those of an octopus, but **FAR **bigger, with suckers big enough to engulf a whole man and ringed with teeth like a squid's, with about a dosen feet of the ends lined with biological hooks and they seemed have been at least _a hundred feet long_, thirty-five feet of which was out of the water! And they were already getting a grip on the harbor deck!

Emma, Johnny, Reef, Fin, Broseph, and Lo turned up and were shocked what they just saw, their merfriends, more so.

"Those tentacles..." Broseph said in shock. "Those are of the kraken!"

"Y'mean, the kraken's **_real_****?**" Lo asked him in disbelief.

"Of course they're real! But what's it doing **here**, and with that byatis?" Fin asked incredulously.

"We thought the byatis was extinct!" Emma stated.  
"Yeah, those things haven't been seen in _centuries_!" Broseph blurted.  
"Tell that to it!" Ty shouted. "'Cause it's heading our way!" The byatis turned its attention to the humans and walked toward them, claws at the ready!

While the mermaids and Broseph tensed up to face off against this aberration, some of the tentacles went into the ship and grabbed Kelly, Johnny, Lance, and Ty & Lo (both in one tentacle), taking them overboard!

Their respective mer-lovers, shocked by what just occurred, sprang into action and went after them... by jumping overboard! Had they lost their minds? They took off their necklaces as they dove in after them. Once they hit the water -a flash and ten seconds later-, they regained their mer-forms and were in hot pursuit!

* * *

Meanwhile, on the dock, Fin, Reef, Kenny, Ripper, were left to face the byatis. The hideous-looking monster took thunderous steps towards the groms, claws snapping, trunk twitching, tail swinging back and fourth tensely.

"This thing have any weaknesses?" Reef asked Fin.  
"Yeah, it's slow, there's a blind spot directly behind him, it can't stay too long out of water, it needs to keep its gills wet, and it can only focus on two targets in front of it at a time." Fin explained.

"That's good to know. How do we deal with this thing?" asked the kook.  
"Get behind it, out of its line of sight. Just watch out for its tail. And stay out of range of its claws and trunk." Fin advised.  
"Gotcha." Reef replied. Just then, his mother turned up to see what was going on. She was shocked by the sight of the byatis.

Just then, his mother turned up to see what was going on. She was _shocked_ by the sight of the byatis, which was too close to her! The monster spotted her, reached its trunk out and grabbed Reef's mother!

Reef, panicing about what just happened, ran to the byatis's side, only to get knocked down by its tail!

"That was reckless, you kook! You were too close to the byatis's side and in its line of sight!" Fin exclaimed.

"But my mom- it's got-" Reef blurted hysterically before Fin cut her off.

"I know, but can't help save your mom if you just panic." Fin assured him.

"Okay, good point. So what do we do?" asked Reef in desparation.

"**HEEELLLP!**" Ms. Volotres screamed out in fear.

"I'll draw its attention. You go flank it, climb onto its back, hit it in the head. That'll make it uncurl its trunk and release your mom." Fin whispered to him.

"Got it." Reef replied.

* * *

Meanwhile, the merfolk, already in their true form ten seconds, later, dove into the water after their respective snatched lovers. Their eyes opened wide with shock at what they saw.

Their friends were snatched by what the merfolk already identified as the kraken. It was a gargantuan cehpalopod that looked like an octopus with a squid's swimming fin, orange-ish eyes that looked spaced-out, eight octopus arms and two squid's feeding tentacles. It was a mind-boggling **_two-hundred feet_**, one hundred feet of which was the _tentacles_!

The merfolk were very stunned that a kraken was in the waters of Sunset Island. The humans in its grasp, more so.

"What's a kraken doing in Canadian waters? I thought they lived off the coast of New Zealand!" Kaycee stated in disbelief.

"That's not the only surprise! Look on its forehead!" Jess shouted, pointing to what she noticed. The other merfolk looked in her direction to see... a foreign object lodged between the eyes! It looked like a yellow nautilus with orange striping, red 'eyes', and black 'tentacles' piercing _deep _into the giant's hide, just about into the brain!

"A neural controller? That explains why it selected human victims. A kraken wouldn't normally settle for anything tiny, especially not humans." Broseph tacked on. He was right about this. Krakens needed high-calorie prey, and the _only_ things in the sea big enough to provide enough calories a day... were _whales,_ usually one a day for a kraken. When they attacked ships like they did in the past, it was out of mistaken identity. Somehow the krakens' existence was kept secret from the human world, courtesy of the merfolk and the sea nagas.

"Then who's controlling the kraken?" asked Emma.

"Never mind that! We gotta save our fellow humans first!" Jess told her urgently before she bolted off to save Ty.

"Jess is right! We **gotta** get then out of danger and _**fast**_!" Kaycee yelled in ageement, following suit. While in the process of rescuing their human lovers, they noticed one thing while doing so: Where was David? They knew he dove in with them, so where'd he go?

Johnny, Lance, Lo & Kelly screamed in panic at the sight of the kraken, using up _precious_ air. Ty, though terrified, held his breath, but struggled in vain to get free. They were all losing air and conciousness fast! The merfolk **HAD** to hurry! Of course, the merfolk tried to reach the humans, but the free tentacles kept getting in the way. So, Emma called upon a pod of dolphins and told them to try their best to distract the kraken long enough to save the humans. The unexpected sea turtles were a decent help, too, courtesy of Broseph calling them.

The dolphins and sea turtles tried and managed to draw the kraken's attention without getting caught. And just as well, too, because one of the tentacles brought Ty and Lo right up to its gigantic beak, ready to chomp them down! The Ridgemount siblings wriggled again, but still failed to wriggle free. Suddenly, just as the beak opened, Broseph and Jess smacked their tails into the tentacle, causing it to uncurl, freeing Ty and Lo, who were both losing conciousness already! Broseph went after Lo, and Jess after Ty, then carried them to the surface, away from the kraken.

Emma did the same with Johnny after she had two of the dolphins headbutt the tentacle holding him. Kaycee saved Lance the same way, but with the help of a couple of lobsters she summoned, which pinched the tentacle into letting go.

As for Kelly, she was **_REALLY_ **close to the kraken's mouth, and she was on her last breath of air! Suddenly, a smack was heard on the tentacle, causing it to release Kelly. Unfortunately, she wasn't a very good swimmer in water deeper than ten feet, either! Luckily, she felt something- or rather, _someone_- pick her up and carried her back up to the surface. Kelly turned her head to see that it was... David to her rescue once again! Kelly was grateful, despite the suspicious vibes being stronger than before and starting to lose conciousness!

* * *

Back on the dock, the byatis was preoccupied with Fin, Ripper, & Kenny in front, while Reef snuck around it, and jumped onto its back, which caused it buck about in an attempt to throw him off. Reef kept his balance, however, and then stomped on the monster's head, causing it to uncurl its trunk, dropping his mother in the process.

Ms. Volotres ran off to get some distance from the monster, which she managed. Suddenly, the byatis grabbed Fin off its back with its trunk, tossing her over the dock... and into the sea, into the kraken's clutches! One tentacle grabbed Fin and pulled down into the water.

Reef, horrified by the sudden moment, punched the byatis's eye to blind it for a moment, ran off the byatis's back, dodging its pincers, trunk and tail while reacing the edge and jumped overboard! Ms. Volotres _freaked_ **big time** when she saw that!

Then Ms. Volotres, Kenny, and Ripper turned their attention back to the byatis, which was already upon them with deadly intent!  
'_Oh no_," the three humans thought.

* * *

While the toss-and-grab moment occured, the rescued humans and their mer-saviors were all under the dock, out of human sight. Broseph pressed his webbed hands on Lo's heart to jumpstart it and even did a little mouth-to-mouth resussitaiton on her before she coughed up a little seawater and gasped for air. Her purple eyes opened to see her rescuer smiling down upon her in relief. Emma did the same to Johnny, Jess to Ty, and Kaycee to Lance, and last but not least David to Kelly. The humans were all grateful. Of course, there was one big surprise in store for Kelly.

"You all right, Kelly?" asked David.  
"Yeah, I'm ok." Kelly answered.  
"Um, Kelly, there's something I've been meaning to tell you." David added. He slowly and cautiously showed Kelly his hands, which were now webbed. Kelly jumped back in shock at the sight.  
"D-David, wha- what _happened_ to your **hands**?" Kelly asked in surprise.  
"Kelly, _**promise**_ you won't freak out too much?" David begged her. Kelly hesitantly nodded.  
"Kelly, the secret is..." David started to confess. He lifted himself out of the water and onto the rocky shore edge Kelly was sitting on, giving her the shock of her life.

David, of course, had no shirt on, but what shocked Kelly was the fact that David had... a black, scaly _tail _where his legs used to be. His tail had scales that matched his board shorts and surfboard (black with neon blue and green stripes) and was lobed, kind of like a coelacanth's. Kelly's eyes popped wide open and her jaw dropped at the sight.

"You're- you're- _**you're a**..._ " Kelly stuttered as she tried to say the last word in her sentence.  
"Yes, Kelly, I'm a merman. I've been trying to tell you, but my assignment kept getting in the way." David confessed.  
"And what were you assigned to?" asked Kelly, curious as to why he was here at Surfer's Paradise, though still in shock.  
"There have been some disturbances here lately involving unidentified slither trails on land, spikes in the resort's power grid, holes in the boats that looked like bites, serpentine shadows in the water. I have a feeling it's what made the surfers appear to 'bail' in the surf contest." David explained.  
"_**Seriously?**_" Kelly asked incredulously.  
"Yes. I don't know what it was, but intend to find out." David added.  
"It's just that this- this is- this is a **LOT** of shock to get over. I mean, I never imagined I'd be **dating** a _merman_! This is freaking me out!" Kelly stated.  
"And that isn't?" David asked her, pointing past her right. Kelly turned her head in his direction to see... Lo and Broseph making out, again, only this time, Broseph's in merman form, too! All she could say out loud was _**"What the...?"**_ Her jaw dropped when she saw the couple.

"Or _them_?" David added, pointing his thumb past his left, showing Kelly the other girls in their true forms, which downright stunned her. Emma, Jess, and Kaycee waved and laughed nervously.

"You mean to tell me tha- that I have two mermaid sisters as _roommates_ at the staff house? And Lo and I were among two mermaids for _waitresses_? And Lo's _dating a fish?_" Kelly blurted out in shock. The mermaids laughed nervously.  
"Well, that explains the 'Krakenove' name I heard days ago." Kelly put in. Kayce gulped at this.  
Lo and Broseph were still making out, oblivious to Kelly's newfound shock. The others noticed this.

"Oh, for _Dakuwaqa's sake_, don't those two **ever **stop?" asked Emma, slightly annoyed.  
"I _know_! They remind me of Geoff and Bridgette from Total Drama Island!" Kaycee commented. Ty and Jess craned thei heads at her.  
"You've seen Total Drama Island?" Ty asked incredulously.  
"I think you've been in the human world a little too long." Jess put in. Kaycee laughed nervously. Then they heard shouts of terror from above their heads.

"_**REEF, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, MATE?**_" Ripper shouted.  
"_**YOU CAN'T LEAVE US WITH THIS ABOMINATION, REEF, YOU LOLO!**_" Kenny added.  
"_**WHAT CAN WE DO TO GET RID OF THIS THING?**_" Ms. Volotres screamed in panic as the byatis roared and stomped toward them. The merfolk and their fellow humans (even Lo and Broseph broke their kiss from hearing the screams) were panic-struck that they forgot about the byatis on the dock and went to get back up there and destroy the monster- or at least drive it away, unaware of the commoton under the waves...

* * *

**Man, this has gotta be the longest chapter I ever made thus far!**

**The mer-people's secrets are being discovered by humans one person at a time in so little time? Well, Kelly was bound to find out sooner or later. And now David reveals his true identity and his primary reason for bein' at Surfer's Paradise as well. Wonder who else'll find out next?**

**Sure didn't expect these sea critters, now did ya? This kraken I based on the one portrayed in this program called 'Beast Legends'. Thought I'd add interest & drama with this kind of kraken. As for the Byatis, I based it on some deviation I saw on DeviantArt. Thought the description on it would be good enough for it here.**

**Oh, and as for Lo & Broseph makin' out here in this chappie, yeah, this be my personal touch for BroLo fans everywhere, myself included.**

**Also, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed this story thus far. Really appreciate that, seriously. And no flames, seriously!**

**Why had the kraken and byatis turned up at the dock? Why the groms? How will the groms, both human and mer-person, deal with the byatis? What's Amber up to? Why so soon? What's gonna happen to Fin and Reef while they're underwater with the kraken? What else can happen to 'em unerwater? Will the royal mer-betty & the common human kook live to see the dance and even earn a kiss? Find out in the next chapter!**


	14. Free the Kraken!

Start: 2-13-11  
Finish: 3-29-11

**Pardon me for the late update. Difficult to come up with scenes that work well with the plot. Surely y'all understand. Expect some lengthy waitin', 'cause this is gon' take quite a while.**

**The Cullens of Death Metal: I'm pleased with your reply. 'Nuff said. A bit creeped out by the ventriloquist dummies fear part, though. All due respect. But still good, just the same.**

**Stoked Fan: I appreciate that comment, seriously. 'Nuff said.**

**WhazzupPeeps: Thank you. I just try the best I can, period.**

**Woahnessness: I'm pleased with your reaction to the previous chapter. 'Nuff said.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Free the Kraken!**

Fin was trapped in a kraken's tentacle, fighting for air. Then, she dawned on her necklace and took it off her neck and wrapped it around her wrist, turning back into a mermaid ten seconds later. Now she could breathe in water, so drowning wasn't a problem now. Getting out of its grasp and escaping with her life, however, seemed to be a quite a challenge. Then she noticed the neural receiver between the kraken'seyes and figured someone was controlling it, but who? Still focused on escape, she looked for a way out of this predicament, but suddenly Reef appeared beside her, with a rock in his hand. Fin figured he was going to hit the tentacle's sensitive suckers to make it release her, not caring how he managed get down here so fast by human standards. However, Reef was _struggling _to hold his breath while reaching the suckers below Fin. To make matters worse, another tentacle grabbed Reef before he could make a hit, putting him in grave danger of drowning if he doesn't return to the surface soon.

Then Fin called a great white shark the size of a speedboat over and told him to ram its snout into the tentacle holding Reef. He did as she told him, slammed its nose into the tentacle, which loosened its grip, freeing the kook. He grabbed the shark's dorsal fin and hung on for dear life. The shark was drawn to the neural receiver for some reason and head straight for it. Fin, however, was still in the kraken's grip and was now closer to its mouth! Fin tried to pry the hooked end off herself, but it was just too strong for her.

Then something unexpected happened. The tentacle released its grip, allowing Fin to escape. Wondering what caused the Kraken to let go, she noticed the giant cephalopod writhing in pain, tentacles flailing wildly.

Fin shifted her attention to the forehead of the kraken and saw... the shark she called to save Reef (who was still hanging on to the big fish) biting at the neural receiver. She wondered why a medium-sized shark would dare tackle something as big as two blue whales, then something occurred to her. The great white was drawn to the neural controller because of the electricity output from the metal device. Sharks were sensitive to the the electrical fields, after all, especially of living creatures. The neural receiver must producing a lot of electricity to draw the shark's attention.

Then suddenly she glimpsed a slithery shape coming around the kraken. Fin wondered what it could be. It soon came into view... _a thulhu eel_. Fin couldn't believe her eyes!

'I thought the thulhu eels were eradicated centuries ago!' Fin thought. The thulhu eel -in this case, Flotsam- swam straight at her, its body crackling with electricity, ready to inflict a _painful_ -and _literal_- shock to her!

Fin bolted away, Flotsam in hot pursuit! Fin swam toward the shark -and Reef-, only to swim into the path of another thulhu eel, Jetsam, and this one was much closer to the tough princess! Fin turned sharply, but before she could get some distance, Jetsam's snout tentacles grabbed Fin's left arm and towed her toward Flotsam, who wrapped its tail around hers. Then both abominations administered a combined shock on Fin! Fin _**screamed**_ in agony from the jolt, which got Reef's attention and the shark's, and spurred them to swim for her.

Despite the danger of losing consciousness again, Reef, against all odds, held his breath- and his grip. Suddenly, five flashes of black and white appeared and squealed at the unnatural eels, distracting them despite still holding on to her. That gave the great white and Reef some time to hit them, and hit one of them the toothy fish did, ramming its snout into Jetsam, knocking the water out of it, forcing him to remove his snout tentacles from Fin's arm.

The black and white shapes got Fin and Reef's attention and they saw it was... Fin's orca companions to the rescue! The largest individual, a male Fin named Spot, charged Flotsam and let out an _ear-splitting_ squeal that forced him to release Fin and swim away. Then Fin saw Reef and the shark coming to her. The fish slowed down a little so Fin could give Reef a quick message of reassurance.

"Reef, hold on just a little longer! Go back up to the surface, but not too fast. Don't want you getting the bends. Y'know what that is, right?" Fin begged him. Reef nodded with a smile, knowing she was okay despite the shock attack the thulhu eel duo did to her. Then Fin told her shark companion to carry Reef back up to the surface, away from the kraken. Suddenly, one of the orcas got snatched by one the kraken's tentacles. Surprised by the sudden catch, Fin called three of the orcas to do what they can to free their trapped companion, while she called Spot to her side so she get a crack at the neural receiver still embedded in its hide.

Unfortunately, Flotsam and Jetsam reared their ugly heads again, this time firing electrical bolts from their snout tentacle tips. Fin and Spot dodged their nasty shots- barely. Apparently, this was gonna be _**much **_tougher than she anticipated! Still, she had to try. Fin always against the thought of controlling animals' minds like puppet slaves. Then again, so were all merfolk and even the sea nagas.

Fin told Spot and his pod to stun the thulhu eels long enough to escape. It worked. Now was their chance. Fin made a dash for the neural controller. Unfortunately, the kraken'stentacles got in the way and slowed them down. Fin swim around the tentacles- or rather, tried to, but there were too many to handle at once. One came at her, but this time, she dodged the incoming tentacle and tried the best she could to reach the neural controller with the help of her orca companions, especially Spot, but it still wasn't enough.

Suddenly, the great white shark Fin sent away to take Reef to safety appeared and bit into the tentacle, distracting the gargantuan beast. Fin and the orcas took advantage of the distraction and headed straight for the neural controller, which Fin discovered was now a little bit dented- no doubt by the great white she summoned. But it was _still _embedded in the kraken's head, and _still _working! Suddenly while dodging the tentacles, one of them caught Fin from behind before she could get close to the neural receiver! She was trapped again! Then Spot and, unexpectedly, Reef -who must have gotten another breath and headed back- arrived to the rescue! Spot managed to get Reef close enough to the tentacle holding Fin, allowing Reef to launch himself off before another tentacle smacked the big dolphin aside. Reef swam as fast as he could, and managed to reach Fin, who was surprised to see him back underwater.

"Reef, what are you doing back here? I thought you were supposed to get to safety!" Fin told him incredulously. Somehow he understood her words, but didn't say anything for risk of losing air. He grasped the tentacle tip and tried to pry it off her, but to no avail. Then he decided to do something no human would dare do to a kraken: he bit into the underside, which the kraken felt, causing it to release its grip on Fin and her orca companions. Fin thanked him and told him to leave for safety on land as she bolted for the controller while hitching a ride on Spot's dorsal fin. Reef grabbed onto his right flipper and held on for dear life! Spot as close to the neural receiver as he could. Unfortunately, there was an unexpected surprise... by Flostam and Jetsam, back for round two! Fin was disbelief as this sight. Reef, more so.

The eel duo powered up and charged the humanoid pair and the orca. They fired their electric bolt at the large mammal, stunning him. Fin and Reef let go before the electric attack made harmful contact to them. Spot squealed in pain from the jolt he just got! Before Fin could lend a fin for Spot, noticed Reef beside him, annoyed that he was still with her instead of leaving for safety. Aware of their current position, she didn't bother arguing with him and took Reef along to the neural receiver.

Reef may be a good swimmer, but against the sea monsters, he was _**way**_ out of his depth- in more ways than one! Luckily, Fin had the experience to help him out. Fin grabbed Reef and pulled him along, dodging the electric pulse blasts Flotsam and Jetsam fired at them as they got closer to their objective.

Spot shortly recovered from the shock and fired his sonic scream at Flotsam and Jetsam, stunning them. This gave Reef and Fin some extra time. Fin took Reef past the two thulhu eels and straight for the receiver! They reached the receiver and looked for a way to get it off without hurting the kraken any further. Then Fin felt a few small gaps at the bottom, big enough for their fingers to fit through, no doubt from when the shark chomped the receiver. Fin told Reef to stick his fingers in the gaps and help her try to pull it out, freeing the kraken from whoever was controlling it. It didn't budge more than a centimeter.

Then Fin saw Spot and two of his podmates approach while the last two were keeping Flostam and Jetsam busy. Fin got an idea. She called Spot and his buddies to fire a strong sonar pulse at the receiver, which they did before the kraken's tentacles grabbed them. It shorted out the receiver, then she told Spot to grab it and pull it out as best he could without further harming the gigantic cephalopod. Reef was baffled by what she was saying, but she explained that the kraken was attacking them against its will due to someone possessing it. Then they helped Spot **_yank _**the receiver out with all their might -with the tentacles closing in fast!- and... it was out! The kraken was free at last! The tentacles stopped and pulled back, much to their relief... and went for the thulhu eels! Fin and Reef were thrilled that they got the kraken on their side. And the great white Fin summoned returned to chomp on the neural receiver and chomped it so hard it was damaged beyond repair, much to Fin's relief! Too bad they fired electric bolts at the tentacles to stop it in its tracks and flee the scene when they witnessed the receiver's unanticipated removal!

But now another concern dawned on Reef and Fin: their friends back on the dock. Fin's face perked up because she got an idea. She told the kraken, now that it was free, to grab the byatis it brought along against its will. The kraken agreed and released her orca companions and reached its tentacles out of the water. Then it pulled its tentacles back into the water, with the byatis in its grasp! Fin and Reef cheered for saving them with the kraken's strength and reach, courtesy of Fin's quick thinking.

Suddenly, just as the kraken was about to bite the byatis in half, there was pair of jolts fired the tentacles holding the byatis, releasing it. The thulhu eels came back to take the byatis back to the lair, carrying the disoriented monster carried by its front legs. Fin considered going after them, but now another issue arose: Reef was almost out of air fast and feared they were so far down in the water he may not reach the surface in time! Fin grabbed the kook and was on her way. Before she left, Fin quickly told the kraken to go hide somewhere deep and away from human activity until mer-help arrives. The kraken did as she told it. Then Fin carried him back to the surface as fast as she could, yet avoided going too fast for fear him getting the bends. He was starting to lose concousness, slowly but surely. She went under the dock where her other friends were- out of sight. Fin surfaced just in time with Reef over her shoulder, and hauled him onto the pebbly shore line. Fin hauled herself on the shore -with Spot nudging her up- and checked on him. He was barely conscious. Worried about Reef in spite of how annoying he was, Fin pressed her webbed hands on his chest to save him. Fortunately, he made it. Again. Now that makes it the _**third **_time she rescued Reef this summer!

Reef gasped for air and looked around to see that they were back out of the water and under the dock, then noticed the orcas in the water close by. Then it dawned on him. The fateful night Fin rescued the kook was the same night he saw five orcas closer to shore than normal. Then he turned to Fin, who was thanking Spot and his podmates for their assistance. Reef realized that she was the cause of their unusual behavior. Fin thanked the shark as well after it poked its head above the water, which startled him away from the edge. Luckily for him, the shark swam away without incident. Then Fin turned to him.

"So, the orcas being closer to shore than normal the night you first saved me- that was you, wasn't it?" Reef inquired. Fin admitted so. She explained that the orcas -Spot in particular- were her companions, as was the great white she summoned to save him. Wherever Fin went, her animal companions followed at a distance in case they needed. Reef also pointed out that she actually told the kraken to grab the byatis to save their friends. Fin confessed she was surprised with that herself and that she was glad she could she needed it most. Reef was relieved about it, too. Then they heard a call above their heads, one of which irritated him.. Fin and Reef turned their heads up to see... their friends, alive and well. Then Reef noticed his mother. Her eyes were wide with shock and her jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she saw: Fin, as a mermaid. Reef drooped his head and sagged his shoulders in regret. Then he asked Fin to help him out with his mother. Fin agreed. She took her necklace off her wrist and put it back on her neck and regained her human form. Then Kenny lowered a rope she brought along in case anyone needed one. Reef turned to Fin.  
"After you, your majesty." He told her. Fin gave him an 'excuse me?' look.  
"What? At least you don't have a skirt." Reef added. Fin accepted his point and climbed up the rope, followed by Reef, and over the railing and then faced Mrs. Volotres.

"Now, is there a reason why my little Leslie was keeping secrets from me? And trying to avoid me?" She asked sternly. That 'little Leslie' comment got Reef to his breaking point, causing him to react negatively.

"**I AM **_**NOT**_ **YOUR LITTLE LESLIE! YOU'VE BEEN BABYING ME EVER SINCE MY DAD DIED! I'M A TEENAGE MAN, AND THE NAME'S **_**REEF**_**! I'M **_**TRYING**_ **TO HAVE A GOOD TIME WITH MY FRIENDS, ESPECIALLY FIN, WITHOUT ANYONE CALLING ME LESLIE, AND YOU'RE **_**CRAMPIN'**_ **MY STYLE! YOU'RE EMBARRASSING ME AND YOURSELF! SO WHY CAN'T YOU JUST GIVE ME A LITTLE SPACE?**" Reef shouted rudely. His friends dropped their jaws at his response. Fin was especially shocked. Mrs. Volotres didn't blow a gasket like he did, but felt hurt. Fin elbowed him in the gut.

"Reef, that's no way to talk to your mom! My parents may embarrass me sometimes, but at least I don't make waves about it! So you should apologise to her. That was really hurtful, what you just said." Fin told him. He accepted glumly. Fin pleaded Mrs. Volotres to hear him out, which she accepted.

"Look, Moms, I sorry I kept a secret from you. And yes, I have been starting to bond with Fin for some time. And yes, I knew Fin was a mermaid because she showed it to me. It's just that you wouldn't have believed me if I had told you. And as for my rude 'tude, I'm sorry, ok? I just needed to tell you I felt. I'm really sorry." Reef confessed. Mrs. Volotres was still a bit hurt from the fact Reef kept a secret from her, but still forgave him and accepted his apology. Then she moved on to another topic.

"So let me get this straight: You've been spending quality time with _a mermaid_? And one who can surf?" Mrs. Volotres asked Reef.  
"Yeah, pretty much." was Reef's answer.  
"Another thing- back under the dock a couple minutes ago, why did you call Fin 'your majesty'?" She inquired. Fin took a deep breath and fessed up.  
"Because... I'm a princess. An actual, royal-by-blood princess." Fin told her. Mrs. Volotres's eyes popped open and her jaw dropped in shock from what she just heard.  
"You- you're a _princess_? You mean to tell me, that my boy's been bonding with a _**royal mermaid?**_" She utter in disbelief. Reef reassured her because he went through this reaction himself.

"Well," Mrs. Volotres started well, in spite of her shock. "I guess that explains the freaky vibes I've been getting from you."  
Fin gulped.  
"By the way, what happened to that over-sized octopus?" Mrs. Volotres asked.  
"You mean the kraken? It's free and hiding away somewhere. It took our friends because someone was controlling it. But Reef, Spot, and I removed the receiver from its head." Fin explained. "Spot's my orca companion, in case you're wondering."  
"Mind control? On a sea monster? That's a first." Mrs. Volotres said. "How was that possible?"  
"We assure you, it wasn't crafted by human hands. It was by starspawn hands."  
"Starspawn? What's a starspawn?" Mrs. Volotres, and the other humans inquired.  
"An evil humanoid race not of this world. But as far as we know, they've been extinct since the nineteen-fifties." Fin explained.  
"It's odd, though, how there could still be some stapspawn tech in existence. I thought their works were all destroyed long ago." She added.  
"Maybe someone else came across it and figured out its function?" Johnny assumed, trying to make sense of it.  
"Perhaps... could be anyone. Only someone evil, immoral, and insane would even consider this." Fin tacked on, finger to her chin, pondering in deep thought. "But who...?"

"Who, indeed..." Emma wondered.  
"Wait, you said 'we', Fin. Are the girls with you mermaids, too?" asked Mrs. Volotres. Fin and her mer-friends fessed up. Then, much to their surprise and relief, she smiled at them.  
"Well, I guess that would explain the fact that you called that monster a byatis, the sight of Emma, Jess, and David calling on a **big **flock of sea gulls, Kaycee and Roxxie summoning some water-shooting dolphins, to drive the byatis off. And Jess, Broseph, and David using the trash cans to trip up the monster before that. That was some quick thinking." She stated.  
"Thus saving our lives. _Mahalo_. (Thank you)" Kenny said.  
"We're grateful for that, mates." Ripper added.  
"You're welcome. Just glad we could help." Jess said, politely.

"I guess it's not so bad to have mer-friends." Mrs. Volotres said.  
"Glad we're in agreement on that." Emma replied.  
"Now, come on, let's get out of here. Bummer will be demanding some explanation for being late, again." Johnny said. With that, groms and seniors, both human and merfolk, headed back for the hotel.

"So, David, you're a coelocanth merman." Jess said to David. Fin's eyes opened wide at the sound of this.  
"Yeah, I am. What's your point?" David asked in wondering.  
"You're a _**coelacanth **_mer? I thought your kind went extinct during Ursula's reign." Fin stated in disbelief.  
"Yeah, we haven't seen _**any **_coelocanth merfolk in _a half-century _since the destruction of that horrible starspawn sea witch, Ursula!" Emma added.  
"Well, actually, the few handfuls of my race escaped her notice and went into hiding over the years until our populations stabilised. We're doing okay now. We're just waiting for the right time to reveal ourselves." David explained. "We coelacanth merfolk are an ancient race. About as ancient as the shark merfolk such as Fin, in fact. We're patient and cautious by nature." Coelacanth merfolk like David were resilient survivors, just like the coelacanths themselves.

"Considering we discovered a piece of starspawn tech on that kraken, I don't blame you." Fin replied.  
"Hey, you don't suppose there could even be...?" Kelly wondered aloud.  
"A surviving starspawn? Possible, considering my encounter with the thulhu eels." Fin answered. Her mer-friends' eyes popped open at the mention of the thulhu eels.  
"I thought they were _exterminated _about a century ago!" Roxxie exclaimed.  
"So have I, Roxxie." Fin told her. And back to the hotel they went. Reef and Fin followed behind.

"So Fin," Reef started. Fin turned to him. "I was wondering..." Fin looked intently into his eyes. "You see, there's this summer beach bash tomorrow night, and I was hoping..."  
"Yes?" Fin inquired.  
"Will you go out to the party with me?" Reef asked. Fin's face beamed at the sound of the question. Her heart sped up.  
"Yes, yes, definitely yes! I will _**so **_go out with you!" Fin answered.  
"Great! So, pick you at six p.m.?" Reef asked.  
"Seven." Fin insisted.  
"Deal." Reef agreed. Then they saw their friends and Mrs. Volotres look with great pride at what they just witnessed.

"**_Finally!_**" Emma, Johnny, Lo, and Broseph blurted out.  
"Took you look enough, Reef." Ripper added.  
"Same with you, _mo'i_ (royal) Fin." Kenny added. Reef and Fin rolled their eyes at this, though, on the other hand, at least now they will stop hounding them about dating- kind of. And back to the hotel the headed.

"I don't suppose you know how to dance or sing among fellow humans, do you?" asked Reef.

* * *

From a distance, Flotsam and Jetsam watched silently and out of sight as the groms and seniors left the dock. Their glowing eyes glowed _brighter _as they were closer to each other. Turned out this was a visual link for their master. Amber watched from the comfort and safety of Cthulhu's Grotto, watching the events that unfolded through their eyes from the crystal ball. While Amber was agitated with the kraken's release from her control, but at the same time, she was pleased that she drew the mermaids out of hiding (at least from her), which was her tactic, so bold and soon, considering her rising insanity. Now she plotted on how to crash the party, and ultimately break Reef and Fin up and snatch Reef up for herself... and she had a pretty crazy idea how to do just that! Amber was becoming so insane that she makes Izzy look stable, sane, and normal in comparison!

"Our suspicions are confirmed. I think I now know just what to do to achieve my goal." Amber announced. "I'll crash the party at the height of the Ridgemounts's glory, cause a little chaos, snatch Reef up for myself, revive my race and city, absorb our dead god's power, and dominate the seven seas by the end of summer, just like my sister never could!" She added. Then Amber startled _cackling _like the madwoman she was. Her employer was sure not going to like this, especially if he finds her plotting behind his back!

Tuna and Betty, who watched Amber in all her insane glory, trembled at what she was planning. They feared and hated starspawn like Amber, but had no choice but to side with her because they had no one else to turn to and nowhere else to go. Now, as if working for the man in the shadows and Amber wasn't bad enough, they feared she was going too far... Is it too late for them to have a change of heart?

* * *

**Amber's on to 'em. This **_**SO**_** can't be good. And who knew she had a sister? Who **_**IS **_**her sister, anyway (No spoilers, seriously!)? Is the kraken gon' make a comeback later on? What other surprises does Amber have in store for the groms? Is The Man in the Shadows the puppet master in this grand scheme, or is Amber the one pullin' the strings? Where _has _he been, anyway? And how exactly is Amber gonna crash the party? Will the groms learn of this sinster plot in time? How will the dance go before Amber's plan kicks into high gear? And it's about time Reef asked Fin out! Took 'em long enough. Bound to happen sooner or later. Will Reef and Fin ever get a kiss at this rate! These questions will be answered, so stay tuned for the next chapter!**


	15. Bummer's freaky day

**WhazzupPeeps: From the look of your comment, it seems you're enjoyin' it still thus far. I'm still pleased.**

**The Cullens of Death Metal: I take yer comment as a compliment. 'Nuff said.**

**Woahnessness: Glad ya got some action on yer end. Was hopin' you'd like it. **

**Constance Faye Dyer: Oh, you'll see plenty o' that soon enough. Y'know what they say- good things come to those who wait. All I can say.**

**Finally, it's up! So sorry for the long wait. Hands full at work and been lazy at times. Plus writer's block. Sorry 'bout that.**

**Chapter 15: Bummer's freaky day**

* * *

**"AMBER GREEN!" **the man in the shadows bellowed as she stormed into the lair. He returned from who knows where, and was evidently _not_ happy about her mer-ID revelation tactic yeserday, and he had flown _way_ off the handle! Captain Clam, who had been lending him a hand for a while, followed him nervously. He saw Tuna and Betty, still in sea naga form, trembling from his wrath.

"_**YOU TWO!**_ **HAVE YOU SEEN AMBER? I WOULD LIKE A WORD WITH HER!**" He bellowed. Tuna and Betty replied with shaking fingers pointing out of the Grotto.

"She went outside? Where is she headed?" asked the mystery man in an impatient tone.

"T-to the Rid-Ridgemount'sss ya-yacht." Tuna answered. Their boss's eye twitched.

"_Why_?" He asked, anger rising in his voice.  
"To- to sssabotage the-the Ridgemountsss at the p-party, and she (gulps) took the byatisss and-and-and the th-thulu eelsss with her, to asssissst her in the party-c-crashing." Betty replied.

"She _**WHAT?**_" He shouted, eyes wide and burning with shock.

"Amber'sss lossst it big time! She'sss gone out of control!" The couple added.  
"She could rush and even ruin everything we planned for!" He stated.

"We're going over there and bring Amber back to the lair so I can interrogate and **PUNISH THAT SNEAKY, TWO-FACED STARSPAWN **_**MYSELF**_**!**" He shouted. With that, he stormed off. Tuna and Betty, after resuming human form as their needed disguise, followed him. Captain Clam followed suit.

* * *

The chef was working diligently and confidently, whipping up meals for the guests at the party on the ship tonight. Luckily he had the help of the other cooks to give him a hand. Then Bummer came in to inspect the food in progress. The Chef turned to Bummer and, while preparing the small, suspiciously fresh lobster for dinner, assured him that everything was going smoothly so far. Bummer was pleased. Then, just as the lobster the chef tossed went into the pot and left to help Kelly, who just called for his assistance with something, something unexpected happened. The lobster went back out of the pot and back on the counter! Bummer craned his head at that. Bummer got a clamp, put the lobster between the prongs, and picked it up close to his face. A mistake he will soon regret.

"What is this?" Bummer inquired. Suddenly, to his shock, the lobster rasied its biting pincer (the slender one) and _pinched_ Bummer on the nose!

"_**OW!**_" yelled Bummer. He tossed the lobster, which ended up back on the stove, next to the pot. Bummer, steamed by the surprise attack, reached his hand for the lobster, but lobster snapped its pincers at him, causing him to flinch for a moment, giving it time to run off as fast as it could, crawling over the pan next to the pot, despite the painful heat. Bummer reached out for the crustacean, but missed and placed his hand in the pan- another mistake he will be sorry to make. It was really hot, and man, did that _burn_! Bummer felt the burn _BIG-TIME!_ Literally!

"_**YEEOOOWWWW!**_" Bummer exclaimed as he pulled his hand back, knocking the pan off the stove in the process. The pan landed on his foot!

"_Ooh, ow, ow, ooh, ow!_" Bummer yelled as he clutched his hurt foot, and hopping on his good one. Then an angered Bummer reached out for the steak knife on the counter, bent on exacting his vengeance on that lobster. Suddenly the lobster, which was now on a shelf -how did it get there?- pushing a bowl of what looked like dough for one of the recipes off the shelf... and onto his head. Then, an angry Bummer raised his arms, steak knife in hand, and swung his arms down upon the lobster, _chopping_ the shelf in half in the process! Then he lifted the bowl to see... the lobster wasn't on the shelf anymore. Just spilled flour and broken jars. Where did it go?

Then, at the corner of his eye, there was movement, he turned his head to see... the lobster on floor and on the run, already toward the doors that lead into the DR! He hurled the steak knife at the lobster, which was stopped in its tracks when the steak knife hit the floor. With Bummer on its tail, the lobster just knocked the knife aside and bolted as fast as its legs could carry it. Then Bummer picked up the steak knife and pointed it at the lobster like a swashbuckler, while the lobster, after seeing his shadow loom over it, turned to defend itself, claws at the ready!

"_En garde_, you rotten crustacean!" Bummer growled at the lobster.  
'How could I get beaten by a lobster? And since when do lobsters have this kind of intelligence?' Bummer thought. There was something _really_ odd about this lobster. Then the lobster walked to him, much to his surprise, and, taking advantage of his confusion, pinched him in the toes with its crusher claw (the thicker one)!

"_**OWWIE!**_ Why, you dirty little, no good...!" Bummer protested as he held his pinched foot, giving the lobster time to escape... under the food cart. Bummer, really ticked off at the way this lobster kicked his butt, charged at it, screaming his head off in anger, steak knife back in hand! He leapt at the cart it was bunking under.

The guests and staff in the DR turned their attention to the kitchen when there was a loud racket. Emma, Lo, Jess, Kelly, the Chef, and the Ridgemounts were especially shocked. They ran off to see what the commotion was about. What they saw shocked them. The kitchen -or at least the area where Chef Fancy Pants -as the Ridgemounts sometimes called him- was preparing the lobster- was a mess!

Bummer was looking under the cabinet, snarling "Come out, come out, wherever you are, ya little bug, and fight me like a man!"

_**"BAUMER!"**_ Mr. Ridgemount yelled out. Startled, Bummer bumped his head, clutched it, and turned to see the Ridgemounts and the staff looking at him in disbelief. "**What are you doing?**" Mr. Ridgemount demanded. "**Have you lost your mind?**"

"Well, there was this unusual lobster that got the jump on me, the same one that Chef Fancy Pants threw into the pot." Bummer explained.  
"Say what?" The crowd inquired. They were a bit confused about what Bummer was talking about.  
"It somehow got out of the pot, pinched me, it even outwitted me!" Bummer added.

"Oh, come on, lobsters don't have zat kind of brainpower." Chef Fancy Pants stated.

"Oh yeah? Well, this one did. Check the pot if ya don't believe me." Bummer added. The chef did as he told him. He looked into the pot the pot to see that there was no lobster in it. Then he turned to him and asked him where it was. Bummer told him he last saw it- under the food cart, but now it was gone.

"Where did it go?" Bummer asked incredulously.

* * *

Bummer was doing his room inspection as he usually did. Today, however, was not going to be routine. He went to inspect the penthouse. He heard splashing and laughter from the pool room and headed for the door.

Bummer opened the door, walked in, and saw... the groms at the pool, having a good time. Emma and Johnny were on the rim, making out obliviously, as were Lo and Broseph, much to everyone's annoyance. George was splashing around in the shallow end with Roxxie and Grommet. Ty, Jess, Ripper and Kenny were frolicking in the deeper water. Lance and Kaycee were sitting side-by-side, socializing. Kelly and David were gazing into each other's eyes. As for Reef and Fin, they were discussing whether they could stay together or part ways after the summer, which weighed heavily on their hearts.

Then he noticed the girls -except Lo, Kenny, and Kelly- weren't wearing their necklaces like they usually did. And he caught a glimpse of what could have been a tail fin in the water. Plus, Bummer also noticed the girls -and Broseph- on the pool edge had what looked like scaly tubes over their legs, yet looked more a fish tail from the waists down. Curious, he decided to go toward them. Before he got within fifteen feet of them, Fin leapt across the pool, at the same time Jess and David hauled themselves onto the rim at Ty and Kelly's sides, respectively. Bummer let out a loud gasp of shock. It caught everyone's attention. Even Broseph, Lo, Emma, and Johnny snapped out of their make-out periods at the sound of his gasp.

'Oh no. Not him. Anyone but him.' Everyone thought. They couldn't believe that _Bummer_, of all people, was next to discover their fishy secret. Bummer started to stammer at what what he just witnessed. He even started to step back.

"You mean, we've had _mermaids_ among us, as our staff? I hired two mermaids as _waitresses_, one as a _bus assistant_, and another as a _maid_? And we had a _merman_ here for the past _six years?_" Bummer blabbed in disbelief.

Johnny got up and stepped forward to try and calm him down but to no avail. Bummer was so freaked out that he turned tail (so to speak) and bolted out the way he came... only to bump into Mr. Ridgemount, with his wife alongside him.

"Baumer, what's going on? What's gotten into you today?" asked Mr. Ridgemount.  
"There's- there are- there are mer-people in the pool! Broseph, Grommet, and David are mermen, and the girls, expect Lo, Kendra, and Kelly, they're-" Bummer quickly babbled, clearly still in shock before his boss cut him off.

"Mermaids. We know." Mr. Ridgemount told him. Bummer stared in disbelief.  
"You- you knew?" He asked incredulously. Mr. and Mrs. Ridgemount nodded in reply.

"And you never _told_ me?" Bummer exclaimed.  
"Because you would have blabbed their secret to the world. And we promised our little girl to keep their secret under wraps for as long as possible." Mr. Ridgemount explained. Bummer's left eye twitched from hearing this.

"You're kidding, right? Tell me this is a joke." Bummer said in disbelief.  
"Have you _ever_ known me to **joke**?" Mr. Ridgemount asked him sternly. He nervously shook his head in reply.

"Good, because we will help them hide their fishy secret for as long as we can." Mr. Ridgemount added. "And now that you know about it, you will, too, so you better try to keep this secret hidden, too. And no freaking out at the mention of mer-people. That's going to arouse more suspicion. And we don't need any more trouble coming down on our kids's lives and that of their friends, especially not at the party. _**Got it?**_"

"Yes, sir." Bummer replied, satluting him out of fear of further disappointment. His humiliation at the claws of that odd lobster -wherever it went- was embarrassing enough.

"Besides, the merfolk have managed to live here without drawing unwanted attention or making suspicious scenes all summer- aside from that sea monster incedent yesterday- and they've made the guests and staff feel good and comfy. So they've done all right by us." Mrs. Ridgemount added.

"That's true." Bummer admitted. "It's- it's just that the- the fact we have actual merfolk among us and in our hotel- this is whole lot to absorb."  
"Understandable." Reef, Johnny and Lo replied. "We know the feeling." They were standing in the hallway, relieved to hear his agreement to Lo's parents.

"So it's settled, then," Mr. and Mrs. Ridgemount established. "Now who's stoked for the party tomorrow?" The groms and seniors cheered in agreement.

* * *

Tonight was the night, and it was almost time for the party! The guys were already dressed the occasion. They were all waiting for their girlfriends to come out.

The boys were already in their casual wear, consisting of dressy, even stylish shirts and shorts with dressy sandals. Even added a pinch of cologne. Something they normally wore with a little less class. Given they heading to the beach bash, this was an exception they couldn't say no to.

Jess, Kenny, and Kaycee were the first to come out. Jess wore a red, sleevless, strapless dress that stopped just above her knees, a black shoes with straps four inches above the ankles, and her hair was free instead in a ponytail like it usually was. Ty was thilled by the sight.

Kaycee was wearing an electric blue dress that stopped below the knees with a light blue sash, and blue pumps on her feet. Her hair stayed the same. Lance liked what he was seeing.

Kendra's hair was free and straight and not in a braided ponytail like usual. Her dress -if one could call it that- for tonight consisted of a sleeveless, silvery-gray shirt, white pants, and strapless black shoes. Ripper was pleased with the sight.

The next to emerge was Kelly. Her dress was a dark magenta with shoulder straps and black, strapless shoes. David was pleasantly pleased with the sight.

Then Lo emerged from the dressing room. She was wearing a pink dress, designer high-heels, and a light purple sea star in place of her trademark flower hairclip. Broseph gazed upon Lo like she was a dream.

Emma came out next. She wore a green, shoulderless dress with a lighter green floral design, and dress shoes that stopped at the ankles. Johnny was downright stunned by the sight.

Fin was the last to come out. Reef was dazzled by her formal wear for the event. She wore a personalized _mu'umu'u_ (a long, loose fitting dress) with the color pattern of an orca, white in front, black behind, with two white spots on her shoulders, and a small dorsal fin fashioned onto her dress back, courtesy of Lo. Her sandals were islander-style, yet with a dressy, classy touch to it, also courtesy of Lo.

"Wow..." Reef whispered to himself. Reef may have interacted with countless girls before, but had never actually dated one before. Then again, he had never bonded with a girl as long as he did with Fin.

"You- you look beautiful." Reef blurted out, blushing in the process.  
"Thank you, kook." Fin replied as she blushed from the compliment.  
"Reef's right. You look na'au nani (pretty beautiful), your highness!" Kenny put in.  
"That's Hawaiian for 'pretty beautiful', right? My Hawaiian's a little rusty." Reef stated. Kenny nodded. Evidently Reef was learning Hawaiian from Kenny, but more recently. But at least he was getting it, little by little.

The guys linked up with their respective dates. And off they went! The party was going to go out with a blast, alright, just not as they hope it turn out to be... not when Amber crashes the party, anyway.

* * *

**Hmm... I think I'm startin' to lose my touch here. Any improvement advice here is welcome.**

**The lobster vs Bummer scene was based on the face-off between Sebastian the crab and Chef Louie from The Little Mermaid. Thought I'd put that there for laughs. 'Sides, it's not everyday ya come across a somewhat Bummer-centric chapter. Didn't see that comin' now, did y'all? And yes, I dress I gave Emma is in fact the same type from that "Endless Bummer" episode. Thought the look would work for her.**

**Oh, boy, Amber's really flipped big time! What could she and her unnatural pets be up to? Won't be pleasant, I suspect. Where _are_ they, anyway? And what'll her boss and cohorts do when they reach the party? Find out in the next chapter! Read and review, y'all! And no flames!**


End file.
